Mikel Arteta now warned £20m Arsenal ace is really ‘not comfortable’ with new role

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There are concerns that Jakub Kiwior is unhappy with his role at Arsenal. 

Former Middlesbrough midfielder Robbie Mustoe believes that Jakub Kiwior is struggling to come to terms with what Mikel Arteta is asking him to do at Arsenal.

The Gunners paid £20 million to sign the Polish defender last January. Although Kiwior is primarily a centre-back, he has been used extensively as a left-back by Arteta in his time at the Emirates Stadium so far.

Kiwior has not always been able to cope with the demands of this position. Against Fulham, last time out, the 23-year-old seemed to be targeted by the home side’s attackers. In the first half, Fulham concentrated many of their attacks up their right flank, seeking to isolate Kiwior at left-back.

On the ball, the former Spezia man also struggled to impress. Arteta tasks his left-backs with playing an inverted role, expecting them to drift into the middle of the park to support the team’s build-up play and add extra creativity. Kiwior was not able to do this effectively at Craven Cottage. Lacking the close control, creative guile, and comfort in confined quarters that is boasted by regular starter Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kiwior became something of a non-entity in the middle of the park.

Is Jakub Kiwior happy with Arsenal role?

On occasions in the past, Kiwior has caught the eye of Arsenal fans as a left-back. However, the truth is, the more he plays there, the more pronounced his vulnerabilities in the position become.

Robbie Mustoe, speaking on The 2 Robbies podcast, has certainly noticed this. Reflecting on the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, in which Kiwior was hooked at half-time, he said, “you’ve got Kiwior, who goes into midfield from left-back, he goes in to make another midfield player, he’s not comfortable in there.”

Kiwior would clearly prefer to play in the heart of the rearguard. He is firmly behind both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in that particular pecking order, though. After a year on the books at the north London club, it is hard to say how good a central defender Kiwior actually is, as he has so rarely been deployed in that position against top class opposition.

Injuries to Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and the poor recent form of Zinchenko has forced Arteta’s hand into using Kiwior at left-back at times this season. This has only served to highlight the limitations in the player’s game, rather than showcasing the 19-cap Poland international’s potential.

Arteta is said to be happy with what Kiwior contributes to the squad, but the player himself may not be entirely satisfied with what he is being asked to do by the Spanish coach.