Mikel Arteta has explained why new signing Riccardo Calafiori wasn’t in the Arsenal squad to face Liverpool in Wednesday’s friendly.
Arsenal summer signing Riccardo Calafiori joined training with the Gunners earlier this week, after finalising his transfer from Bologna, but the defender wasn’t involved in Wednesday’s friendly against Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta has explained why, speaking after the match.
“We had to manage him,” Arteta said. “He had a very busy 48 hours before he took his flight and joined us here, and then it was the jetlag, it’s a lot of things.
“He hasn’t (fully) trained with the team yet and we want to build him up slowly to get to know him first. We’ll have plenty of time to see him.”
Jurrien Timber was also absent from the friendly squad, but Kaya Kaynak confirmed that the exclusion wasn’t due to injury.
The defender was simply being rested as he continues his full recovery from his ACL tear last season.
Timber had played 62 minutes for Arsenal against Bournemouth and another 63 against Manchester United, so he already had two hours of football under his belt in the previous seven days.
With Timber and Calafiori out, Takehiro Tomiyasu injured, and William Saliba still on holiday, Jakub Kiwior ended up starting the game as Arsenal’s right-centre-back.
Arteta should have more of his usual options available by the time Arsenal’s next friendly rolls around, with the Gunners facing Bayer Leverkusen next Wednesday, August 7th at 18:00 BST.