Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted Riccardo Calafiori was “a little emotional” following an injury scare during Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester City over the weekend, but maintained the Italian is “in contention” to face PSG.
The Gunners just recently purchased the left-back from Bologna for roughly £42 million this summer, and he has excelled thus far, scoring a thunderbolt in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City, so there was natural anxiety when he suffered a knee injury against the Foxes.
Calafiori was spotted gripping onto his leg before leaving the stadium with a knee brace, and sources said he was in tears in the dressing room due to worries he would be out for a lengthy time.
But Arteta has allayed such fears by saying that he has a chance of playing against the French champions, providing light on the “emotional” incident in his pre-match news conference, and disclosing that Ben White is in contention despite missing the previous two matches.
“We have to review them today,” he added. “We did not do any training sessions yesterday. Obviously, he [Calafiori] was emotional after the game, and we’ll see how he is now.”
When asked what had impressed him the most since Calafiori joined the team, Arteta said, “His willingness. When I chatted with him, he made it apparent that he wanted to come here. He believed he’d be a great fit here, and he was.
“He constantly smiles, and he is pleasant. He is also a warrior who will go over and beyond for the squad. “He has all of those qualities.”
