Jorginho has welcomed Manoel Marcelo Ribeiro to the Emirates Stadium with a classy message on social media. Arsenal poached the sports massage therapist, known as Manny, from Chelsea earlier this month.
Ribeiro joined the Blues in 2009 following spells at Fulham and West Ham. He worked closely with the Gunners midfielder during his time at Stamford Bridge, helping him win the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup.
The masseur announced his departure from Chelsea on Saturday evening with a heartfelt statement on Instagram. Ribeiro wrote: “Thank you @chelseafc for the last 15 seasons. [12 trophy emojis] l had a blast! To all current and past players I shared the changing room all those years, it was a pleasure!
“Also a big thank you to all staff that coped with me and those that we bonded and won so many trophies together. All the very best! [three blue heart emojis and a praying emoji] TO THE NEXT CHAPTER.”
The post tallied over a thousand likes, with comments from Diego Costa, John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta. Willian, David Luiz and Trevoh Chalobah also congratulated Ribeiro on his move to Arsenal.
Jorginho later snapped a picture with the Gunners’ new arrival, posting a selfie to his Instagram story. Posing with his thumbs up in Arsenal training gear, the former Blues midfielder wrote: “Welcome my friend [red heart emoji].”
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In the meantime, higher-ups at the Emirates Stadium have been working overtime to secure Riccardo Calafiori’s signature. The 22-year-old defender continues to be heavily linked with an exit from Bologna following his impressive performances for Italy at Euro 2024.
Despite diving out of the tournament in the round of 16, he still managed to catch the eye. According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are finalising a deal for Calafiori, which is thought to be worth £42.1m.
The report states that personal terms are expected to be formality despite interest from another – albeit unnamed – Premier League club, as well as Juventus and Real Madrid. Ahead of his potential move to Arsenal, Calafiori has been compared to Sergio Ramos.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Tony Cascarino said: “If Arsenal are getting a deal done for £40 million for a centre-half that a lot of clubs have looked at and wanted then that’s a fantastic addition to the club. He’s got it all.
“He’s really composed, but he’s got a bit of Sergio Ramos in him as well. He gets on the ball, he can find passes really easily. You can play him in a three, you can play him in a two. He’s really versatile and I think it’s a great addition for Arsenal.”
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