Mikel Arteta sent clear message by in-demand £20m Arsenal ace after Liverpool win

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Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior reminded everyone of his quality against Liverpool on Sunday.

Jakub Kiwior was tasked with filling for the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back as a half-time substitute for Arsenal against Liverpool.

Thrown into the heat of such an intense fixture, with the visitors starting the second half with renewed optimism having scored an equaliser just before the break, Kiwior was handed a tough task in immediately getting to grips with the pace of the game.

The Poland international also had to contend with being played out of position, as he is a centre-back by trade, and may also have been feeling a little rusty, and short on sharpness and confidence, as he has hardly been a regular in the Arsenal team so far this season.

Despite these challenges, the £20 million former Spezia man produced an assured and eye-catching display. He even almost got on the scoresheet late on, as his clever and adventurous run from deep saw him connect with a Martin Odegaard cross in the Liverpool box, but he could only steer his header straight at Alisson Becker.

Jakub Kiwior proves his worth to Mikel Arteta and Arsenal

With Arsenal already without Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu heading into this match, it will have come as a major blow to Mikel Arteta to lose Zinchenko as well. However, the Spanish coach will be delighted with how Kiwior stepped up to the plate.

Kiwior may also feel that he sent a message to Arteta with this performance, showing the manager that he is worthy of more game time going forward.

So far this season, the 23-year-old has only been afforded 18 appearances, across all competitions. Many of those have seen him deputising at left-back, rather than in his preferred role in the heart of the rearguard, too. In terms of Premier League starts, Kiwior only has 4 under his belt this season.

Zinchenko may now be out for some time. Timber won’t be available again any time soon, and Tomiyasu also has a patchy fitness record. If there was ever a time for Kiwior to show that he can shine for Arsenal, even at left-back, it was on Sunday.

The 19-cap Poland international has been heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal, as it seemed unlikely he would make the breakthrough at the club and there was clear interest in his services from elsewhere. Arteta may now feel that Kiwior has more of a long-term future at the club. At the very least, with his performance against Liverpool, he proved that he can make an immediate impact and can provide an important contribution in what remains of the current campaign.