Rio Ferdinand questions why Arsenal spent £42m on star who ‘doesn’t even start’

Rio Ferdinand questions why Arsenal spent £42m on star who ‘doesn’t even start’

Rio Ferdinand has questioned why Arsenal spent £42m to sign Riccardo Calafiori last summer when he ‘doesn’t even start’ under Mikel Arteta.

The 22-year-old Italy international, who can play as a centre-back or left-back, arrived at the Emirates in July from Serie A side Bologna.

He has made 17 appearances for the Gunners so far and started Premier League matches against Brentford and Brighton earlier this month.

Calafiori scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal defeated Wolves 1-0 in the top-flight on Saturday, coming off the bench for the second half.

The Italian has faced numerous injury problems this season, including issues with his calf and knee, which has seen his playing time reduced.

But that hasn’t stopped Manchester United legend Ferdinand questioning why Arsenal decided to sign Calafiori in the first place.

‘What are [Arsenal] going to do in this [January transfer] window?’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

‘Everyone is talking about a striker. In the summer, they went and bought Riccardo Calafiori.

‘£42m they spent on him and he doesn’t even start. If you’re going to spend that much, he should be going straight into the Arsenal team.

‘Especially when there’s a big shout that they need a centre-forward and they’ve invested somewhere else.’

Arsenal manager Arteta showered praise on Calafiori after his heroics against Wolves last time out.

‘[It was] like the goal against Man City!’ Arteta said. ‘Riccy can produce these magic moments.

‘He did today, again, it really helped the team so really glad that whoever comes in on the pitch, he has the experience to make things happen.’
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