“We never spoke” - Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori reveals why he didn’t text Italy teammate Chiesa who scored first league goal for Liverpool

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has outlined why he didn't text Federico Chiesa after the latter scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool this weekend. The Italian forward was summoned from the bench in the 82nd minute during the Reds' game against Bournemouth on Saturday, August 16.

The Merseyside club were tied 2-2 in the game, but Chiesa sent them ahead in the 88th minute, before Mohamed Salah sealed a 4-2 win. Interestingly, the 27-year-old had endured a difficult debut campaign after joining Liverpool from Juventus in the summer of 2024.

Calafiori, meanwhile, scored the only goal in Arsenal's 1-0 league win over Manchester United on Sunday, August 17, at Old Trafford. Interestingly, both players were part of the Italy squad at the 2024 Euros.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after Sunday's win, the 23-year-old wished Chiesa well this season.

“I can send it now. He had a tough season last year, and we never spoke, so I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well,” said Calafiori.

He continued:

“We knew each other during the latest Euros. We didn’t talk much, but he’s a very good guy, and I hope he can play consistently. Maybe not too much, because we want to win the Premier League, but I hope to see him soon with the national team.”

Calafiori arrived at the Emirates from Bologna last summer in a reported £42m deal.

Can Arsenal pip Liverpool to the Premier League title this season?

Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes his former side have all the ingredients to beat Liverpool to the Premier League title this season. Speaking to BBC Sport, the former England defender suggested that new signing Viktor Gyokeres could hold the key for Mikel Arteta.

“The first six games of the season including Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle away, and Manchester City at home are going to be key,” said Keown.

He continued:

“But I am going to turn what might have been a negative for Arsenal into a positive, because Liverpool’s new players will be bedding in, City have had a reset and Newcastle have endured a difficult summer.”

He concluded:

“The title race is still going to be very close but if Arsenal and Viktor Gyökeres can click straight away, then the solid building blocks they need to be champions are already in place.”

Gyokeres arrived from Sporting this summer for a reported £64m fee.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Deepungsu Pandit