Gennaro Gattuso Left With Major Concern As Riccardo Calafiori Faces Fresh Injury Setback
Riccardo Calafiori could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering another injury setback.
Louis Fargher
Updated on 02 January 2026
Riccardo Calafiori has suffered another injury concern after a recent run of issues and could be a doubt for Italy’s World Cup playoff clash against Northern Ireland.
Riccardo Calafiori Injury Update
The Italian international has missed Arsenal’s last two matches through injury, aggravating the initial knock during the warm-up before the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Brighton.
Picking up an injury at this point in the season will be a major blow for Calafiori as the defender has been one of Arsenal’s best players across multiple competitions.
The 23-year-old has made 20 appearances for the Gunners this campaign (all competitions) and his performances forced Mikel Arteta into dropping Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The opening stages of 2026 have already brought huge issues to Italians in the Premier League, with Calafiori suffering a new injury and Enzo Maresca parting ways with Chelsea.
After a reported dispute with the Chelsea board, the Italian was relieved of his duties and Maresca could be heading to Serie A after catching the eye of multiple sides.
An exact return date for Maresca is yet to be revealed and the same can be said with Calafiori, as Mikel Arteta revealed that he will miss Arsenal’s upcoming clash against Bournemouth on January 3rd.
Arteta described the Italian’s injury as ‘awkward’ and this has left Azzurri manager Gennaro Gattuso rather concerned ahead of Italy’s crucial World Cup playoff clash on March 26th.
Gennaro Gattuso Concerned Over Calafiori
Calafiori has been an ever-present member under Gattuso, only missing out on selection with injury and keeping two clean sheets in his three appearances under the Azzurri boss.
Overall, the 23-year-old has picked up 12 caps for his nation and is proving to be a vital player for Italy despite his inexperience.
The Arsenal star is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Italy’s World Cup playoff encounter against Northern Ireland – but his injury record under Gattuso will cause some concern.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has also made headlines in the opening stages of this year, after a furious exchange in Manchester City’s goalless stalemate with Sunderland.
Gattuso will be hoping that these injuries and drama-filled situations are kept to a minimum before March 26th as the Azzurri look to compete at the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
The Azzurri do have multiple options to replace Calafiori, with Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluca Mancini, Federico Gatti and Matteo Gabbia – but Gattuso will be looking to start the Arsenal defender.
Louis Fargher
Louis has been an avid soccer enthusiast for multiple years and boasts knowledge across several leagues in Europe - including Serie A. Louis holds a degree in Soccer Journalism and has produced content for multiple clubs in the United Kingdom.
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