Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna as the Gunners look to bolster their squad ahead of the new season.
Calafiori arrives with a growing reputation after helping Bologna to Champions League qualification last season, before breaking into the Italian national side.
Arsenal will hope the centre-back can be a major part of their title challenge in 2024-25, as Calafiori looks to follow in the footsteps of some successful Serie A imports in North London.
Here are five of Arsenal’s best-ever signings from Serie A.
David Platt
After four seasons in Italy representing Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria, Arsenal agreed a £4.75m deal to bring England midfielder Platt back to English football in 1995.
Injuries impacted his time in North London but Platt was an important contributor under Bruce Rioch and successor Arsene Wenger. He scored 15 goals in 107 appearances for the Gunners and won a Premier League and FA Cup double during his final season at Highbury.
Happy birthday, David Platt ???? pic.twitter.com/J29OuyAt4P
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 10, 2024
Though restricted to an impact role following the arrival of Emmanuel Petit to partner Patrick Vieira in midfield, Platt produced a vital moment with a late winner against title rivals Manchester United. It was a goal that proved decisive in the 1997-98 title race, as Arsenal edged out the Red Devils by just a single point.
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp arrived at Arsenal that same summer, with a point to prove following an underwhelming spell at Inter Milan. After a tough start, the club-record signing became the figurehead for a new-look Arsenal, as Bergkamp added guile and genius to a side whose reputation had been built on the less glamorous side of the game.
Bergkamp’s 11 years at Arsenal saw the Dutchman win three league titles and four FA Cups, with the forward named Player of the Year during the club’s first Premier League success in 1997-98.
Responsible for some of the greatest goals in Premier League history, Bergkamp’s balletic spin and finish against Newcastle and an outrageous hat-trick against Leicester are some of the most memorable imagery of the Premier League era.
Art. In its purest form.
Dennis. Bergkamp. ???? pic.twitter.com/azdHNzh2JN
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 20, 2021
He scored 120 goals in 423 appearances for Arsenal and ranks as one of the most transformative signings in the Gunners’ proud history. A statue of Bergkamp now sits outside Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
Golazo Merchants: Arsenal’s non-flying Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu followed the path Bergkamp had trodden after representing Ajax and Inter before his move to Arsenal. A serious heart defect detected with Inter threatened his career and impacted his time in Italy before a £4.15m move to North London in 1999.
Kanu had won the African Footballer of the Year award after helping Nigeria to Olympic Gold in 1996 and won the award for a second time after signing for Arsenal. He scored 44 goals in 198 appearances for the Gunners, despite spending much of his time as an impact option, with Kanu capable of game-changing moments.
#OnThisDay in 2000 ????
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Kanu: pic.twitter.com/v0itmBqdUv
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 2, 2021
No game epitomised his match-winning credentials more than a comeback win at Chelsea, where Kanu scored a hat-trick to help Arsenal come from two goals down to win at Stamford Bridge.
Iconic Performances: Kanu hat-trick seals famous comeback win at Stamford Bridge
Patrick Vieira
Arsene Wenger had a habit of unearthing untapped potential and the £3.5m capture of Patrick Vieira from AC Milan was some of his best business. The Frenchman had failed to find his feet in Serie A but hit the ground running in the Premier League, imposing himself on opposition midfielders.
The general of the Gunners’ midfield, Vieira formed formidable partnerships with the likes of Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto Silva as Arsenal won league titles in 1997-8, 2001-02 and 2003-04.
Happy birthday, Patrick Vieira ???? pic.twitter.com/puKdjZIpkN
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 23, 2024
He captained the club to the latter of those successes, as Arsenal became the first team in 116 years to complete a top-flight campaign in England without losing a game.
Vieira featured 406 times for Arsenal, scoring 34 goals, and scored the decisive penalty kick in the 2005 FA Cup final win over Manchester United in his final game for the club.
Midfield Generals: Patrick Vieira – A Gunners great
Thierry Henry
The very best of an illustrious lot.
Thierry Henry had struggled in Serie A at Juventus, but Arsenal enabled him to reach the ceiling of his potential in the Premier League. Henry’s transfer to North London and move into a centre-forward position saw him become one of the defining players of his generation, with the Frenchman virtually peerless across his eight seasons in an Arsenal shirt.
Henry scored 228 goals in 377 appearances to become Arsenal’s record scorer, won a record-breaking four Premier League Golden Boots, and was named PFA Player of the Year twice.
The Premier League was very much Henry’s playground as the Frenchman swaggered around pitches with confidence and electric pace, as near to unstoppable as English football has witnessed when at his best.
One of the great #UCL performances…
???? Thierry Henry vs Real Madrid, 2006 pic.twitter.com/wN6vxjef8U
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 27, 2023
After leaving for Barcelona in 2007, he briefly returned for a short loan spell in 2012.
Read – Iconic Performances: Thierry Henry’s irresistible display at Inter
See more – Noughties Nines: Thierry Henry – Premier League King
