Arsenal are expected to line up for Jakub Kiwior in January amid renewed interest from Europe. The Polish international defender impressed in midweek when he made his first start of the Premier League season in the 2-0 shutout of Manchester United, replacing the injured Gabriel Magalhaes. And in recent weeks, Kiwior's representatives have again received questions about their client's availability due to his lack of minutes this semester. Italian giants Napoli are among a list of potential suitors, although they have not yet begun formal talks – contrary to reports, while AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are also admirers of the 24-year-old.
However, Arsenal stood firm when they told the player and his agents FairSport in August that he would not be allowed to leave north London after several proposals. Bologna and Villarreal were keen to loan Kiwior but Mikel Arteta was reluctant to weaken his side and expected the centre-back to get opportunities over the course of a long season. Although the Pole remains on the fringes of Arteta's squad, Arsenal still value his versatility and prefer to keep Kiwior at least until the end of the season when his future can be reassessed. The sticking point is whether Kiwior itself is prepared to warm the bench if regular football is offered elsewhere. It is thought he would have to push for a move to get a transfer. Arsenal still rate the former Spezia man highly and believe his value has increased since they paid the Italian team £20 million for his services in January 2023.
But with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu currently sidelined through injury, Arsenal's players are depleted at the back and Kiwior remains a key member of Arteta's title chase. In addition, Riccardo Calafiori has suffered from various problems in addition to the knee injury he suffered against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in October and his condition is continuously monitored. The internal feeling at Arsenal is that they need to maximize the use of their squad if they want to make a success of the current season and that exits are not a necessity. Kiwior can play as either a centre-back or a left-back and had a remarkable run of games last season between February and March, when he cemented a starting position as a wing-back. Defensive reinforcements would likely be needed before Arsenal could soften their transfer policy, unless they were presented with a competitive offer that was simply deemed too good to refuse.
Comments