It was not the mountain of statistics or a ridiculously in-depth knowledge of his performances for Bologna which convinced Riccardo Calafiori to join Arsenal over the queue of rival suitors knocking on his door 18 months ago. No, Mikel Arteta got the upper hand by producing a picture of Calafiori’s family.
This was no hostage scenario but rather the latest insight into Arteta’s unorthodox approach to his emotionally-riddled role as Arsenal’s figurehead.
