Arsenal appear to have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, with his name added to the list of transfer battles between the two clubs in recent years.
Both teams were in talks to sign Calafiori after his impressive Serie A and Euro 2024 campaigns but he is now close to joining the Gunners.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca must be disappointed with the news because the 22-year-old is perfectly suited to the inverted left-back role he likes to play.
The Italian must get used to facing Arsenal in the transfer market, though, as this is the fifth instance in just the past three seasons.
The Chelsea Chronicle outlines every transfer battle between the two clubs since Todd Boehly’s takeover and decides the winner of each.
Who won Chelsea and Arsenal’s transfer battles?
Omari Hutchinson (July, 2022)
One of Chelsea’s first signings after the arrival of Boehly and Co. as the club’s new owners was Omari Hutchinson. Hutchinson was one of the Gunners’ brightest prospects and they were extremely disappointed to lose him on a free transfer, especially to their London rivals. The winger enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Ipswich Town last season and has since made the move permanent in a £22m deal that has eased the Blues’ PSR concerns.
Winner: Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk (January, 2023)
Mykhailo Mudryk was enjoying a breakthrough 2022/23 campaign at Shakhtar Donetsk but nobody expected him to make such an expensive move to the Premier League. The 23-year-old was set to join Arsenal before Chelsea swooped in, making him one of their many statement signings in recent years. So, one could assume that the Blues were the winners of this battle, yet that cannot be the case until Mudryk comes close to proving he is worth £62m.
Winner: Neither
Jorginho (January, 2023)
Jorginho had his doubters at Stamford Bridge – and rightly so – but selling him to Arsenal for just £12m was a mistake. The midfielder has twice helped the Gunners to mount a serious title challenge and it seems only a matter of time before they get over the line. Not to mention, the 32-year-old still had plenty to give at Chelsea and would have been valuable at various times last season in the absence of Enzo Fernandez.
Winner: Arsenal
Kai Havertz (June, 2023)
Kai Havertz will always be remembered for scoring the Champions League-winning goal against Manchester City in 2022. However, the German’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal continuously let him down and the decision to sell him last summer was the right one. While he has improved slightly under Arteta, the same concerns over his finishing remain and it has to be said that the Chelsea hierarchy did exceptionally well to get £65m for him.
Winner: Chelsea
Riccardo Calafiori (July, 2024)
Calafiori is a player who would suit Enzo Maresca’s system perfectly, so it is a shame for the Blues that he is heading to Arsenal. Of course, it is too early to call the move a success for the Gunners but he will only improve their defensive depth and make them tougher for the Blues to catch.
Winner: Arsenal
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