Arteta’s £42m choice: Calafiori’s Italy masterclass shows why he is key for Arsenal

At the tail end of last season, Myles Lewis-Skelly looked to have cemented his place in Mikel Arteta’s line-up, featuring in almost every Premier League match and playing in high-profile clashes against Real Madrid and PSG.

But just three games into the new campaign, Lewis-Skelly appears to have slipped into a peripheral role, restricted to minutes off the bench.

The reason is that Arteta has opted to go with Riccardo Calafiori.

While Calafiori has done plenty to justify Arteta’s trust, Lewis-Skelly has shown flashes of his quality when introduced, particularly in the Leeds fixture, doing enough to stake a claim for a return to the starting XI.

Italy 5-0 Estonia: Calafiori’s playmaker masterclass

The Arsenal defender impressed as Italy ran riot in a 5–0 win. Playing the full 90 minutes, Calafiori stamped his authority on the game with:

• 117 touches

• 99 completed passes, including 13 in the final third

• 2 key passes

• 2 chances created

• 2 accurate long balls

It was a performance that led Italian outlets to dub him a de facto playmaker, a tag that likely explains why Arteta wants him on the pitch whenever he is fit and available.

Italian media reaction highlighted his influence. According to Leggo:

“A modern Premier League player. He defends and sets up plays with extraordinary ease.”

As cited by Corriere della Sera:

“He’s one of the de facto playmakers when it comes to the balls he works with, and when he raises the tempo, it’s noticeable.”