Arteta delight as Arsenal star rejects three European clubs in favour of Emirates stay
Jakub Kiwior and Gabriel of Arsenal
Mikel Arteta will be able to continue using Jakub Kiwior next season, as the defender has opted to reject the advances of Milan, Napoli and Roma, according to reports.
Kiwior left his native Poland as a teenager, going on to join Anderlecht in Belgium. He had spells at two Slovakian teams before joining Italian outfit Spezia in August 2021.
The centre-back went on to establish himself as one of the most impressive young defenders in Italy, and this saw Arsenal take a punt on him in January.
According to Sky Sports, the Gunners spent £20million when signing Kiwior on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
Before arriving at the Emirates, Kiwior will have known that it would be tough to force his way into Arteta’s starting lineup, as William Saliba and Gabriel were standing in his way.
As such, it comes as little surprise that the 23-year-old has spent a majority of his time on the bench, though he has still managed eight appearances across all competitions.
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Kiwior’s standing as a backup at Arsenal has alerted numerous Italian teams to the possibility of signing him. Milan have been trying to engineer a loan agreement ahead of January, while Napoli and Roma have recently joined them in the chase.
But according to Sport Witness, who cite fresh reports emerging from Spain, Arteta and Arsenal have nothing to worry about.
Arsenal man ‘not interested’ in Italy return
Kiwior ‘is not interested’ in a return to Italy so soon after moving to North London. He wants to ‘turn the tables’ at Arsenal and eventually become a starter under Arteta.
The best way for him to do this would be to put in a series of good performances, should Gabriel either pick up an injury or be dropped. It is unlikely Kiwior will manage to take Saliba’s spot in the team, as the Frenchman is already a top performer in the Premier League at just 22 years of age.
Arteta will be ecstatic that Kiwior will not be pushing for a winter move out of Arsenal. The manager knows that strong squad depth will be needed if Arsenal are to go one better this term and win the Premier League title, and Kiwior helps to provide that in defence.
While the 19-cap Poland international will be staying put, midfield outcast Mohamed Elneny is gearing up for a January move away from Arsenal. On Wednesday, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that multiple Saudi Pro League sides are vying to land him. And Arsenal are happy to sanction his exit, as this will make room in the squad for a new midfielder to join.
