William Saliba has already made his feelings clear about playing with Jakub Kiwior instead of Gabriel Magalhaes at Arsenal

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Arsenal have suffered a huge injury blow ahead of their game against Real Madrid.

Gabriel Magalhaes is out for the season after scans revealed that he will have to undergo surgery to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered against Fulham.

The Gunners will be significantly weaker now heading into their huge Champions League quarter-final clash, but Mikel Arteta has full confidence in Jakub Kiwior to fill Gabriel’s shoes.

But, what does William Saliba think of the Poland international defender?

What William Saliba has previously said about Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal

With Gabriel out, Saliba’s significance in Arsenal’s defence will be higher than ever now.

The Frenchman is arguably the best centre-half in world football, and when he has a good game, the Gunners often come away with a positive result.

Saliba’s partnership with Gabriel is the best in the business, but in the next few weeks, the former Saint Etienne star will have a different partner.

Kiwior will likely be that man, and Saliba has already played a few times with him in the heart of the defence this season.

One of those games was against Manchester United in the Premier League, and Saliba and Kiwior were both fantastic in that game.

The latter was so impressive that Saliba even gave Kiwior a new nickname: “The boss of Poland!”

After the game, the France international said about playing with Kiwior instead of his Brazilian pal: “Gabriel was not here. He is a great leader for us, but Kiwior played really well.”

Jakub Kiwior’s record at Arsenal when starting in 2024/25 will give fans hope

Arsenal fans are worried about Kiwior starting against Real Madrid following Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury.

The Pole is definitely not as good as the former Lille man, so there are concerns over how he would fare against the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

But, Kiwior’s record at Arsenal when he has started this season is fantastic.

Yes, we would rather have Gabriel starting too, but Kiwior’s record when Arteta has started him this season is absolutely incredible.

That should give the former Spezia man the confidence he needs to play at his highest level in the games against Real Madrid and others in the coming weeks.

We really think Kiwior has what it takes to deliver.