All eyes on £20m Arsenal player as Aston Villa clash labelled ‘decisive’ to his future 

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As deadline day fast approaches, one Arsenal player could have his future decided for him against Aston Villa.

The Gunners travel to Villa Park for their first away day of the 2024/25 campaign, with redemption on Mikel Arteta’s mind. 

Aston Villa beat Arsenal both home and away last term, handing the North Londoners a significant blow in their title hopes. 

While a win will be the only thing on the squad’s mind going into the battle in Birmingham, the fixture means more than just three points for one player.

• READ MORE: Aston Villa vs Arsenal: How to watch, team news, prediction and everything you need to know

Aston Villa clash decisive to Jakub Kiwior’s Arsenal future

One of the most notable things from Arsenal’s opening day win over Wolves at the Emirates was the omission of Jakub Kiwior from the squad.

The Poland international was not injured and had been training, but was not named in the squad, as his future in Arteta’s plans remains uncertain.

Now, a further update on Kiwior’s transfer stance has been provided by journalist Gianluca Di Marzio ahead of the clash with Villa. 

Di Marzio reported that a return to Serie A could be on the cards for the versatile defender, who signed for £20m from Spezia Calcio in January 2023. 

“Bologna is ready to take Kiwior on an onerous loan with right of redemption if Arsenal open up to this formula from tomorrow onwards.

“Today will be decisive to understand if the player will remain out of the choices of Arteta”

Kiwior loan would be smart

The story of Kiwior’s time at Arsenal is one that will split opinion, with the Poland international being both important for depth but rarely a player to capture the eye.

Last season, the 24-year-old was utilised well by Arteta, with his ability to play both centre-back and left-back coming of great use when injury struck.

Now that the Gunners have Jurrien Timber back and have recruited Riccardo Calafiori, Kiwior’s stance in the squad becomes far less useful. 

• READ MORE: Four Arsenal stars who could leave before Transfer Deadline Day

The duo are identical profiles to the former Spezia ace and most importantly, can be considered a vast upgrade on the 2023 arrival.

A loan would be a smart move for both Kiwior and Arsenal, who can sanction an exit for the 2000-born gem to ensure his development continues at a high level in Serie A.

As Di Marzio explained, it all comes down to whether Arteta names the defender in his squad to face Villa, with a lot relying on the manager’s call this afternoon.