Even the mere suggestion of Barcelona raiding the Emirates may be enough to get Arsenal supporters old enough to remember waking up in a cold sweat.
It was a tradition started by the deals which took Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit from North London to Catalonia around the turn of the century.
Then came Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Sylvinho, Alex Hleb and the legendary Thierry Henry.
That drawn-out Cesc Fabregas saga haunted Arsenal for what felt like an eternity before he too got his move to the Blaugrana, Alex Song and Thomas Vermaelen following in his footsteps soon after.
So there will be a large section of the Gunners fanbase who will not be thanking Massimo Orlando as he tips the seemingly incoming Riccardo Calafiori to take that familiar path from Arsenal to the Camp Nou.
The Premier League runners up, according to Gianluca di Marzio, are closing in on a deal which would see Calafiori move to the English capital for a fee of £42 million. Excellent value, given Calafiori’s vast potential and the fees being exchanged for other less gifted, more senior centre-halves.
Arsenal close in on £42m Riccardo Calafiori deal
“Arsenal are definitely (getting) a bargain,” former Atalanta, AC Milan and Juventus midfielder Orlando tells Tuttomercatoweb. “For the game he plays, Calafiori is a perfect match (for The Gunners).
“In a few years, maybe he’ll go to Barcelona or Real Madrid.”
For now, however, destiny looks set to take Calafiori to the Emirates as he begins his journey to become one of Europe’s premiere centre-halves.
2006 World Cup winner Marco Materazzi shares Orlando’s assessment of Arsenal being the ‘ideal’ club for this classy yet combative left-sided centre-half, while others are bemoaning the loss of such a talent from Italy’s top-flight.
Juventus are one of the clubs rumoured to have missed out on Calafiori, despite a reported wage of £65,000-a-week that would have proven affordable not only for Arsenal but to the Allianz Stadium outfit too.
“In modern football, four million euros (a year) is not much. It was a salary that even an Italian could afford,” Orlando adds.
“Certain experiences abroad are good, especially in the Premier League. It’s a fascinating but difficult championship.
“Now, we’ll see how he adapts.”
Sergio Ramos comparisons
Orlando is concerned about the prospect of 22-year-old Calafiori struggling to match the speed of English football. Then again, having thrived when marauding out from the back Thiago Motta’s free-flowing, rambunctious Bologna side, the adaptation might not be as difficult as some are suggesting.
“I would have chosen Juve, because the Italian championship is more complicated tactically but the English one has double the pace and that’s a problem,” Orlando argues. “I would have chosen Juve because I would have continued to learn from the coach who got me to this level.”
HITC understands that Arsenal’s London neighbours Chelsea, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are also admirers of Calafiori.
Legendary Italian tactician Fabio Capello, meanwhile, sees similarities between the one-time Roma youngster and a young Sergio Ramos.
He worked alongside Ramos during his formative years at Real Madrid.
“I was impressed by Calafiori’s personality. He didn’t look like a debutant at the Euros. If I have to make a comparison, I think about a young Sergio Ramos,” Capello tells Gazzetta dello Sport of a man who thrived in a largely dreadful Italy side at this summer’s European Championships.
“I coached (Sergio) Ramos in 2006-07 in Madrid. Just like Ramos, Calafiori used to play as a full-back, and he turned into a centre-back.”
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