Why Mikel Arteta actually wanted Jakub Kiwior to stay at Arsenal despite Riccardo Calafiori arrival

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal have decided that Jakub Kiwior is going nowhere.

The Gunners remain active on the market even at this late stage, and there could still be some movement before Friday’s deadline.

All eyes are on incomings to see who Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar will be able to bring in before the window shuts, but there are a few players who could leave too.

One player who is set to stay is Kiwior, and that is a big surprise to many fans.

Why Arsenal have decided to keep Jakub Kiwior

Arsenal have so many options at the back right now.

The Gunners already had the best defence in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season, and the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori makes them even stronger.

The Italian is expected to feature as a left-back for Arsenal, while he can also play in the heart of the defence and midfield if required.

Not only Calafiori, but even Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Toiyasu can play those roles, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are also available at left-back.

That led many to believe that Kiwior will be sold by Arsenal, but that isn’t happening now.

Arsenal have told Kiwior and his representatives that he will not be allowed to leave the club before Friday night’s deadline.

Now, Kaya Kaynak has revealed the reason behind this decision in a Q&A on Football London.

He said: “Arsenal have three left backs who you could describe as injury prone in Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney.

“They have signed Riccardo Calafiori, but they don’t want to be caught short of numbers.

“The feeling was that unless the right offer came in Arsenal should keep Kiwior as a high-quality option who can play if needs be. The right offer never came in, so Kiwior is going to stay.”

What did Kiwior want to do this summer?

Kiwior knows the position he is in.

The Pole is a very good defender. He showed a lot of quality in the 2023/24 season when he filled in at left-back in Zinchenko’s absence.

However, with Calafiori coming in and Timber now available, it was clear to everyone that Kiwior would not get much game time this season.

However, Kiwior still chose to stay at Arsenal and even rejected offers from other Premier League clubs because he only wanted to move back to Italy.

No acceptable offer arrived from the Serie A, so he’s now all set to stay at the Emirates until at least January.