'Ricardo Calafiori is a real defender unlike Oleksandr Zinchenko': Former Arsenal defender makes BRUTAL assessment on Ukrainian - and even aims a dig at David Raya
The former Arsenal defender pulled no punches in his review
Calafiori looks set to join Arsenal this summer(Image credit: James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)
Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has taken aim at a number different Gunners players ahead of the expected arrival of Riccardo Calafiori.
The North London outfit look set to welcome the Italian defender as their first signing of the summer after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title in a final day showdown last season.
The Gunners appear to be on the precipice of success under Mikel Arteta, who is yet to win another trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, although Gallas believes a number of players may still be holding them back.
Mikel Arteta was within touching distance of the title last season (Image credit: Alamy)
Former Arsenal defender takes aim
With Calafiori's official announcement now seemingly a matter of when not if, Gallas welcomed the Italian's arrival, describing how he would be a major upgrade on Oleksandr Zinchenko.
"I think Arsenal’s football has moved on from what Zinchenko offers them," Gallas told Gambling Zone.
"Football is a game that constantly evolves, and it is changing again at the moment in terms of how the best teams try and defend."
Zinchenko could soon see his game time limited (Image credit: Getty Images)
He continued: "Over the last few years, we’ve seen teams ask their left backs and right backs to go into midfield and build play from the back. We’ve seen back fours become back threes with the ball – a defender's role has changed a lot, but now the focus seems to be on doing what they are there to do: defending very well and being strong.
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"There is a trend moving towards a much more solid back four. There are a lot of reasons for that, but fundamentally, it’s about being stronger than your opponent and limiting the number of chances on your goal. Football is changing. We’re in a period that was made for real defenders."
Gallas had a controversial spell at the Emirates during his playing career (Image credit: Getty Images)
Gallas then hinted that David Raya should still be questioned despite his fantastic debut season at the Emirates.
"Listen, if you’re a goalkeeper and you can play behind a strong defence then you can win a title," the Frenchman explained.
"David Raya is playing with a great defence in front of him. That means that most teams that play Arsenal will have only a few chances to score in each match, so in those few situations, you need your goalkeeper to be amazing."
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.
