- Calafiori makes impressive Arsenal debut
- Arteta praises defender and places expectations
- Begin Premier League campaign against Wolves
Getty/GOAL'Energetic, passionate, intelligent' - Mikel Arteta expects 'a lot' from Riccardo Calafiori after new signing makes Arsenal debut against Lyon

Virgin Media
✅ Combines superfast home broadband and live Premier League broadcasting into a single household bill.
✅ Allows you to bolt TNT Sports onto an existing TV package on a 31-day rolling basis for around £25 a month.
✅ Broadband-only customers can use the free Stream box to add and drop the Sky Sports HD pack on a 30-day rolling basis.

EE
✅ The "Sport Plus" tier bundles both Sky Sports (via NOW) and TNT Sports into one seamless package to cover all 267 televised matches.
✅ Allows you to upgrade or downgrade your TV tier each month without breaking your 24-month broadband contract.
✅ Includes the Apple TV 4K or EE TV Box Pro for high-end viewing and easy multi-room streaming setups.

HBO Max
✅ Streams all 52 TNT Sports matches, making it the exclusive home for the early 12:30 pm Saturday fixtures.
✅ Provides exclusive coverage of select full midweek matchdays.
✅ Combines live Premier League football with premium HBO shows and Warner Bros movies in a single app ecosystem.

NOW
✅ Streams the entire Sky Sports Premier League catalogue over the internet to smart TVs and mobile devices without a satellite dish or installation wait.
✅ Offers 31-day rolling contracts (for £34.99/month) so you can cancel during the summer off-season.
✅ Offers 24-hour Day Memberships for £14.99 if you only want to watch a single specific derby or match.
Virgin Media
✅ Combines superfast home broadband and live Premier League broadcasting into a single household bill.
✅ Allows you to bolt TNT Sports onto an existing TV package on a 31-day rolling basis for around £25 a month.
✅ Broadband-only customers can use the free Stream box to add and drop the Sky Sports HD pack on a 30-day rolling basis.

EE
✅ The "Sport Plus" tier bundles both Sky Sports (via NOW) and TNT Sports into one seamless package to cover all 267 televised matches.
✅ Allows you to upgrade or downgrade your TV tier each month without breaking your 24-month broadband contract.
✅ Includes the Apple TV 4K or EE TV Box Pro for high-end viewing and easy multi-room streaming setups.
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Calafiori joined Arsenal earlier this summer in a £42 million ($54m) move from Bologna, and the Italian has come to the Emirates with a lot of expectations placed on his shoulders. Those expectations have been amplified to another level by Arteta's comments on what he expects from the 22-year-old following his debut for the Gunners against Lyon.
(C)GettyImagesWHAT ARTETA SAID
Speaking to the media, Arteta said: "He brings a lot of versatility because he can play in two or three different positions and especially in attack, he can occupy different spaces because he’s a real defender. When you see his presence, his physicality, how he goes to the duels, he’s unbelievable. Obviously, he’s done a lot last year and I think he’s a player that can improve us."
He added: "We are managing them, it’s a lot of new things for him. It’s a big step up, but he’s so willing as you could see, for the 20 minutes that he played, he’s so energetic, so passionate, a really intelligent player. He’s going to give us a lot."
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Arsenal have made only two signings this summer including Calafiori as they brought David Raya permanently to the Emirates. The Gunners will hope their signings will help them do one better compared to last season after they fell short in the Premier League title race against Manchester City.
WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Following his impressive debut, Calafiori could very well be a starter for Arteta when they begin their Premier League season with a clash against Wolves on August 17.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting



