Arsenal stars William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are among the best defenders in the world.
The Frenchman joined the Gunners as a teenager in 2019, and his centre-back partner signed for the North Londoners a year later.
Gabriel hit the ground running in the famous red and white, but Saliba had to go out on loan three times before getting an opportunity.
Now, the two defenders are undroppable, and that proved to be a problem for one Arsenal player in the summer.
Jakub Kiwior says he wanted to leave Arsenal because of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes
Jakub Kiwior joined Arsenal from Spezia in the winter of 2023.
The Poland international was viewed as a versatile player, and Mikel Arteta deployed him as a centre-half as well as at left-back.
Kiwior had his shaky moments, but his performances for Arsenal in Saliba and Gabriel’s absence were very impressive, especially last season.
However, in the summer, Kiwior decided that he wanted to leave because he realised that he would not get many minutes with Gabriel and Saliba ahead of him.
He told TVP Sport: “The club didn’t want to let me go, and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer. I was valued there; no one wanted to get rid of me. Arteta didn’t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted.
“The decision to leave was entirely mine. I wanted to play, but with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba ahead of me, the chances were small.”
Speaking about his conversation with Arteta, Kiwior added: “I convinced him myself. I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything.
“He understood my ambitions and my desire to play, and he thanked me for how I behaved as both a person and a player.”
Arsenal will sell Jakub Kiwior for a bargain fee
After convincing Arteta to let him go, Kiwior joined Porto on loan.
The deal includes a clause that obligates the Portuguese champions to sign the Pole permanently for around £23 million next summer (The Athletic).
That is an absolute bargain for a player as good as Kiwior, who has been fantastic for Porto since he joined them on loan.
Arsenal have always had a terrible record of selling players, and this is another example.
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