Calafiori Arsenal squad number revealed

Arsenal have confirmed that Italy international Riccardo Calafiori will wear the no. 33 shirt during his first season in the Premier League.

Calafiori will continue to wear the no.33 shirt for the third season in succession. He donned the same squad number at Bologna last season, and did the same while with FC Basel in 2022-23. He had worn the no.16 shirt during his loan spell with Genoa and the no.61 during his first season with Roma‘s senior squad.

Calafiori joins Arsenal from Bologna

The North Londoners officially announced the signing of the versatile 22-year-old defender on Monday afternoon. Calafiori has moved for a reported fee of just under €50m (£42m) including bonuses and has put pen to paper on a five-year contract that will run until the summer of 2029.

Roma, who sold Calafiori to Basel prior to his Serie A return with Bologna, are set to receive a small cut of the transfer fee due to their previous sell-on clause.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said that he is looking forward to working with Calaifori and his ‘big personality’ for many years to come.

“Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies,” the Gunners’ coach said.

“He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive.”

The 22-year-old completed his medical in England on Saturday, and has since flown out to join his new teammates in the United States for their pre-season tour.

Arsenal are due to play Liverpool in Philadelphia in the early hours of Thursday morning, but Calafiori is more likely to be involved in the club’s next friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen or Lyon back at the Emirates.

Click here to read more about Calafiori’s move from Bologna to Arsenal