Arsenal legend Ian Wright (Pictures: Getty)
Ian Wright hailed Arsenal summer signing Riccardo Calafiori for taking the Gunners to ‘another level’ after he impressed in the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal made a statement of intent to their European rivals on Tuesday night with an impressive and relatively stress-free 2-0 win over French champions PSG.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring with a 20th-minute header before Bukayo Saka’s free-kick put the hosts in control before half-time.
Arsenal’s strong defence kept the visitors at bay after the break as Mikel Arteta’s side picked up their first Champions League win following last week’s opening draw at Atalanta.
Wright was impressed with Arsenal’s performance at the Emirates Stadium and singled out summer addition Calafiori for praise after the match.
The Arsenal legend admits he has been surprised by the level of Calafiori’s performances since he completed a £42m move from Serie A side Bologna over the summer.
Wright also said Calafiori had taken Arsenal to ‘another level’ and given Gabriel Martinelli a new lease of life on the left-hand side.
Riccardo Calafiori joined Arsenal over the summer (Picture: Getty)
‘He is very good,’ he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast when asked about Calafiori, who featured for Italy at Euro 2024.
‘I always thought our left-hand side wasn’t properly activated. Even when we tried with [Oleksandr] Zinchenko or [Jakub] Kiwior, it hasn’t really worked.
‘Even playing [Jurrien] Timber there hasn’t worked. With Calafiori, the way he activates Martinelli… he’s a whole different kettle of fish now.
Arsenal sealed an impressive win over PSG (Picture: Getty)
‘Martinelli knows he can go because Calafiori is back there. When Zinchenko came to Arsenal we saw a massive difference in terms of progressing the ball and controlling the game.
‘But now it seems like it’s ramped up to another level with what Calafiori is capable of doing. I didn’t know he had this much in his armoury.
‘We hear a lot about players not adapting to the league or the team but he is plug and play, he’s got it instantly. There’s no way we thought we were getting this much of a player, no way.’
Source:: Metro