Arsenal transfer claim deemed ‘laughable’ amid ‘terrible precedent’ warning about ‘most likely’ sale
Jakub Kiwior is reportedly “most likely” to leave Arsenal this summer but the club have been warned about setting a “terrible precedent”.
The Premier League giants paid around £20m to sign Kiwior during the 2023 winter transfer window as he joined the club from Serie A outfit Spezia.
The defender’s versatility was useful during the 2023/24 campaign as he was used at left-back and centre-back. He made 30 appearances across all competitions.
The Poland international and Takehiro Tomiyasu moved ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order at Arsenal during the Premier League run-in, but he’s being heavily linked with a move elsewhere.
Earlier this month, it was claimed that Arsenal are willing to let Kiwior leave for just £12.7m amid interest from Serie A giants Juventus.
Arsenal expert Charles Watts claims Kiwior is “most likely” to leave the club this summer, but they “wouldn’t stand in the way” of Zinchenko “leaving”.
“It does seem like a defender will have to move on should Calafiori arrive, although right now it does seem that the Italian could come in before a departure takes place,” Watts said in his column for Caught Offside.
“The most likely option is that Jakob Kiwior could go. He has a very similar profile to Calafiori so it’s hard to see how they could both be utilised should they be in the squad together.
“Oleksandr Zinchenko is another player who Arsenal wouldn’t stand in the way of leaving should a suitable offer arrive, but right now it feels like the market for Kiwior is far more active.
“Several Italian clubs are understood to be interested in the Poland international, who Arsenal signed from Spezia in January, 2023. AC Milan have a long-standing interest in Kiwior and Juventus are understood to be looking at him after missing out on Calafiori.
“Kiwior is popular at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff are happy with the progress he has made since he signed. He got plenty of minutes last season and Arteta trusted him enough to play him in a lot of big games, even if that was mainly as a stand-in left-back.”
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However, Watts confirms Arsenal “want to get a good deal” for Kiwior, with the club warned about setting a “terrible precedent”.
“So if he does leave, then Arsenal will want to get a good deal for the 24-year-old. They spent around £20m to sign him just 18 months ago and he has improved as a defender since then,” Watts added.
“He has shown he can perform at the top level, both in the Premier League and in the Champions League, so Arsenal can’t just give him away.
“I’ve seen figures such as €15m (£12.5m) mentioned and that quite frankly is laughable.
“Arsenal are already viewed as poor sellers when it comes to the transfer market and a deal like that would be a terrible precedent to set in a summer when the club are looking to make good money on a number of departures.”
