Future of £20m Arsenal ace in doubt as ‘everything will depend’ on Arteta call

Add as preferred source on Google

Jakub Kiwior could be set to leave Arsenal.

According to Italian publication Calciomercato, AC Milan are keen to sign Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior in the upcoming January transfer window on a loan-to-buy deal. “Everything will depend” on Mikel Arteta, as he will have the final say on whether or not the centre-back is allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal signed Kiwior from Italian outfit Spezia for £20 million in January. Since then, though, the player has had limited opportunities to impress for the north London club.

The form and quality of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who have formed a trusted partnership in the heart of the Arsenal defence, has ensured that Kiwior has been limited to back up role.

However, when he has had chances to play, the 23-year-old has generally impressed. Physically he looks able to cope with the rigours of Premier League football, and his excellent range of passing means that he is comfortable in Arteta’s system, which requires centre-backs to be positive and confident on the ball.

So far in his Arsenal career, Kiwior has managed to rack up sixteen outings across all competitions. Eight of those appearances have come this season, with four of them being starts.

However, despite having been largely kept in reserve so far, Kiwior does have a vital role to play in Arteta’s squad. Especially in light of the long-term injury suffered by summer signing Jurrien Timber, Arsenal are a little light on options at the back. With Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White preferred in full-back roles, Kiwior is presumably the first choice rotation option for Gabriel and Saliba.

Mikel Arteta has easy decision to make on Jakub Kiwior

Whilst a loan that allows him regular game time could be considered the best thing for Kiwior’s development at this stage in his career, Arsenal need him to provide back up and competition for the regular starters.

Given that AC Milan are not willing to pay anything up front for the defender, their interest must be dismissed out of hand. If the Serie A giants were considering putting money on the table, the Gunners could use that fee to fund the search for Kiwior’s replacement. Without that option, though, there is no obvious up side to this deal.

What’s more, Kiwior has shown potential. Arteta likely won’t feel ready to give up on him making the grade at Arsenal and eventually pushing to be a regular starter. Arteta has said before that he has high expectations of Kiwior. As the final decision on the player’s future is his, the Spanish coach ought to find it easy to make up his mind.