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Injuries and squad rotation is set to work in Riccardo Calafiori’s favour as Arsenal end the season against Southampton on Sunday

Arsenal signed Calafiori with the belief he could play left-back or centre-back, but nearly all of his time in north London, so far, has been spent as a full-back.

Sunday presents the 23-year-old with the chance to double that tally and also earn a first Premier League start in the heart of Arsenal’s defence.

The Gunners are without both of their preferred centre-backs as William Saliba has joined Gabriel on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury during last week’s win over Newcastle.

Calafiori replaced Saliba at half time of that game and he should get the nod to start on Sunday, when Arsenal travel to Southampton.

The Italian will likely be paired with Jakub Kiwior, who has enjoyed a run of 11 starts in a row in the absence of Gabriel.

Calafiori will wonder if that could have been him, but he suffered a knee injury during the March international break just before Gabriel tore his hamstring.

Injuries have blighted Calafiori all season and he has had five different spells out, equating to over 100 days on the sidelines.

Injuries have impacted Riccardo Calafiori’s debut season at Arsenal

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Myles Lewis-Skelly’s emergence at left-back has also had an impact. Calafiori has started 16 games in all competitions this season, but 10 of those were before December - which is when Lewis-Skelly started a Premier League match for the first time.

Calafiori believes he can still take positives from this season, though, and he is excited about what the future holds.

“I am very happy at Arsenal,” he told gianlucadimarzio.com last week.

“For me personally, it (this first season with Arsenal) was a great experience. Obviously when you win trophies it’s always better.

“Here I measured myself against the most important and difficult championship in the world. I saw that I can be there easily, this made me very happy and I am convinced of the choice I made. A regret? None, absolutely.

“I always feel good in every position I play, I try to help the team. In my opinion, what was missing was just continuity this year.

“I will try to be more consistent next year. When I was good, I always played and I also made the difference. The goal is just to stay in shape all year.”

I always feel good in every position I play, I try to help the team. In my opinion, what was missing was just continuity this year

Riccardo Calafiori

The performances of Lewis-Skelly make it intriguing for where Calafiori plays next season, although competition at left-back in the Arsenal squad should ease.

Kieran Tierney is set to join Celtic on a free transfer, while Oleksandr Zinchenko could go if the right offer comes in as he has one year left on his contract.

That would leave Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly as the primary options at left-back, although Jurrien Timber, Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu can fill in there, too.

Calafiori may become a valuable option at centre-back, though, especially if Arteta looks to rotate more next season.

Gabriel and Saliba have formed a brilliant centre-back partnership, arguably the best in Europe, but both have suffered hamstring injuries towards the end of this season.

Rotation could ease their workload and Calafiori has a timely chance to show what he can offer when Arsenal head to Southampton for the final game of the season on Sunday.

The Italian starred as a centre-back for Italy at Euro 2024 and those from his homeland believe it is his best position.

Calafiori is happy playing wherever he is asked, operating as a full-back when he was younger, but he has mentioned how John Stones is a reference point for him.

Riccardo Calafiori played the second half against Newcastle after William Saliba’s injury

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The similarities are there to see, especially with the way Calafiori drives into midfield. Glimpses of that were on display last weekend, when the 23-year-old got 45 minutes at centre-back against Newcastle.

Calafiori was typically cavalier in his style, getting forward whenever he could, and no Arsenal player carried the ball into Newcastle’s final third more times than him.

In that regard, the Italian is very different to Mikel Arteta’s other options at centre-back and that could prove useful next season.

Arteta is a big advocate of his sides being unpredictable - and deploying Calafiori is an easy way of doing that. Even from centre-back, the Italian can spark a game into life.