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Riccardo Calafiori next: Ranking every player Arsenal have signed from Serie A from worst to best

Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Lucas Torreira playing for Arsenal

Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Lucas Torreira all joined Arsenal from Serie A clubs

Arsenal are working on a deal to sign Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna – but how have their previous imports from Serie A fared over the years?

The Gunners will pay an initial £33.7million and another £4.2million in potential add-ons for the defender, who can play at centre-back or left-back.

We’ve taken a look at the 11 first-team players that Arsenal have previously signed from Serie A and ranked them from worst to best.

Note: we’ve not included players initially signed for the youth team so Vito Mannone and Arturo Lupoli miss out.

11. Stephan Lichtsteiner

The first signing of the post-Arsene Wenger era, Lichtsteiner joined Arsenal on a free transfer after his Juventus contract expired at the end of the 2017/18 season.

But the then-34-year-old was already in the twilight stages of his career, and he made just 23 appearances in all competitions during a forgettable one-season stint with the Gunners.

10. Jakub Kiwior

Arsenal reportedly fought off competition from AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus to sign Kiwior from Spezia in a £21million deal in January 2023.

The Poland international endured a slow start to his time in London and made just eight appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 season.

He played a more prominent role in the 2023/24 campaign, sharing left-back duties with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

But Calafiori’s impending arrival at the Emirates will push Kiwior down the pecking order, and he has been linked with a return to Serie A.

Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior

9. Lucas Torreira

After starring for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup, Torreira left Sampdoria and joined Unai Emery’s Arsenal in a £26million deal.

The combative midfielder enjoyed an impressive debut season at Arsenal and scored his first goal for the club in a 4-2 win over Tottenham.

But he fell out of favour under Mikel Arteta and had loan spells at Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina before joining Galatasaray in a £5.5million deal in 2022.

8. Mathieu Flamini

Having left Arsenal for AC Milan in 2008, Flamini spent five years in Italy before returning to the Emirates on a free transfer in 2013.

The midfielder made 93 appearances during his second spell at the club and won back-to-back FA Cups in 2014 and 2015, although he was an unused substitute in both finals.

He also secured his cult hero status at Arsenal by scoring a brace in a League Cup tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in the 2015/16 season.

7. Takehiro Tomiyasu

Tomiyasu was heavily linked with both Arsenal and Tottenham in the summer of 2021, but he joined the former on transfer deadline day after they agreed a £16million deal with Bologna.

While the Japan international has struggled with injury problems in the last three years, he is still a valuable and versatile member of the Arsenal squad.

“Tomi is a player that everybody loves in there,” Arteta said. “He’s always the first (in training) and he’s always the last out. You tell him to do something and he will give his life for it.

“He’s an exceptionally professional player who gives us a versatility and qualities that nobody else has in the squad. For me he’s a really important player.”

6. Anders Limpar

Limpar’s performances for Cremonse in 1989/90 saw him crowned the third-best foreign player in Serie A – behind only Diego Maradona and Lothar Matthaus.

The former Sweden international then joined Arsenal in a £1million deal and scored 13 goals in his debut season, helping the Gunners win the First Division title in 1990/91.

But his importance to the team waned over the following three seasons, and he was sold to Everton in March 1994 after being deemed surplus to requirements by George Graham.

5. David Platt

Arsenal agreed a £4.75million deal with Sampdoria in the summer of 1995 and they bought Platt, who was keen to return to England after a four-year sojourn in Italy.

The midfielder enjoyed a strong start to his Arsenal career and formed an impressive partnership with Patrick Vieira in 1996/97, but he was pushed to the fringes following the arrival of Emmanuel Petit in the summer of 1997.

He still made a vital contribution to Arsenal’s double-winning campaign of 1997/98 as he scored the winning goal in a 3-2 victory against Manchester United, who finished one point behind the Gunners.

4. Nwankwo Kanu

Kanu joined Arsenal in a £4.5million deal in January 1999 after a series heart defect and subsequent operation plagued his time at Inter Milan.

The striker often had to settle for a place on the bench but still scored 44 goals in 198 appearances for the Gunners, including an iconic 15-minute hat-trick against Chelsea.

He also won two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Community Shield before joining West Brom on a free transfer in 2004.

“What a difficult question,” Wenger said when asked about his best-ever January signing. “Over 20 years, maybe Kanu. In the middle of the season. That had a big impact and he was a huge player.”

3. Patrick Vieira

One of the first signings of the Wenger-era, Vieira left AC Milan and joined Arsenal in a £3.5million deal in 1996.

Under the tutelage of his compatriot, he blossomed into one of the best midfielders in the world and played an integral role in Arsenal’s double-winning campaigns of 1997/98 and 2001/02.

The former France international also captained the club during their Invincibles campaign of 2003/04 and scored the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final win over Manchester United, which proved to be his final game for the club.

2. Dennis Bergkamp

Eyebrows were raised in the summer of 1995 when Arsenal forked a then-club record £7.5million for Bergkamp, who had experienced an underwhelming tw0-year stint at Inter.

But the former Netherlands international silenced his doubters by registering 120 goals and 111 assists in 422 appearances for the Gunners.

His performances helped Arsenal win three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, and he is now regarded as one of the most technically gifted players to have ever played in England.

1. Thierry Henry

After selling Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid in the summer of 1999, Arsenal identified Henry as the ideal replacement for the striker.

Arsenal agreed to pay Juventus a reported £11million to secure his signature, which made him a club-record transfer at the time.

The striker justified that price tag by scoring 226 goals in 370 appearances during his first spell at the club, winning two Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

“He was a huge success for us,” Wenger said. “He was an exceptional footballer player. He was a combination of physical talent and intelligence. He was one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen.”

READ MORE: Riccardo Calafiori: Everything you need to know as Arsenal close in on special defensive talent

Arsenal Thierry Henry Patrick Vieira Riccardo Calafiori

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