{"id":3967,"date":"2026-03-28T18:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=3967"},"modified":"2026-03-28T18:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:35:58","slug":"only-three-serie-a-defenders-rank-higher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=3967","title":{"rendered":"Only Three Serie A Defenders Rank Higher"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Able to switch seamlessly between left- and centre-back, the 23-year-old Riccardo Calafiori helped Bologna\u00a0qualify for the Champions League before transferring to Arsenal in 2024.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\">After a transformative spell at Bologna under Thiago Motta and a breakout Euro 2024 campaign, the Roman-born defender has established himself as a premier talent on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">While Calafiori is now showcasing his skills in the Premier League with the Gunners, his valuation remains a benchmark for Italian excellence.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">In fact, when looking at the current crop of defenders playing in Italy\u2019s top flight, only three players boast a higher market value than the former Roma youth product.<\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"7\">The Rising Transfer Value of Riccardo Calafiori<\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">When Arsenal secured Calafiori\u2019s signature in the summer of 2024 for a fee in the region of \u20ac45-50 million, some questioned the price tag for a player with only one full season as a regular center-back.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">However, according to recent data from <i data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"242\">Transfermarkt<\/i> and various valuation models, that figure now looks like a bargain.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\">Calafiori\u2019s versatility \u2013 capable of playing as a ball-carrying center-half or an inverted left-back \u2013 makes him a rare commodity in modern football.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\"><span class=\"citation-1 citation-end-1\">His current estimated transfer value sits comfortably at the \u20ac50 million mark, a figure that dwarfs most of his contemporaries back in Serie A.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"OkukwCaffTs\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Riccardo Calafiori answers the internet\u2019s most asked questions\u2026 \ud83d\udc40 | Riccardo Calafiori Fan Q&amp;A\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkukwCaffTs?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"10\">Who Are the Most Valuable Defenders in Serie A?<\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\">Despite the talent depth in Italy, the list of defenders valued higher than Calafiori is exclusive.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\">Currently, the only Serie A stars with a superior market valuation are:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\" data-path-to-node=\"12\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan):<\/b> Valued at approximately \u20ac80 million, the Inter stalwart is considered the gold standard for left-footed defenders in world football.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Gleison Bremer (Juventus):<\/b> The Brazilian powerhouse remains a vital asset for the Bianconeri, with a valuation reflecting his status as one of the league\u2019s most dominant physical forces.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan):<\/b> While often deployed as a wing-back, Dimarco\u2019s defensive contributions and world-class delivery have seen his value soar to the \u20ac50m+ bracket.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13\">Other notable names like Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli) and Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta) are nipping at Calafiori\u2019s heels, but they have yet to consistently surpass his global market appeal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17007\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17007\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17007 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.footitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Calafiori.jpg\" alt=\"Calafiori\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.footitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Calafiori.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.footitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Calafiori-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.footitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Calafiori-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17007\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calafiori caught the eye of Mikel Arteta at Bologna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"14\">Why Calafiori is the Future of the Azzurri Defence<\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">Despite Calafiori\u2019s regular injury issues, the reason his value remains so high is his \u201cmodern\u201d profile.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">Unlike the traditional \u201cstopper\u201d defenders of Italy\u2019s past, Calafiori excels in possession.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">During his final season in Serie A, he ranked among the best in Europe for progressive carries and interceptions, proving that he can defend by anticipating play rather than just reacting to it.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\">For fans of Italian football, seeing a homegrown talent reach these financial and technical heights is a sign of a healthy pipeline.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\">Whether he eventually returns to Serie A or remains a pillar of the Arsenal defence, Calafiori has set a new standard for what a modern Italian defender is worth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.footitalia.com\/news\/riccardo-calafiori-transfer-value-serie-a-defenders-comparison\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Able to switch seamlessly between left- and centre-back, the 23-year-old Riccardo Calafiori helped Bologna\u00a0qualify for the Champions League before transferring to Arsenal in 2024. After a transformative spell at Bologna under Thiago Motta and a breakout Euro 2024 campaign, the Roman-born defender has established himself as a premier talent on the global stage. While Calafiori [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spotlight-sugli-azzurri"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}