Wright claims one Arsenal star is ‘proving himself’ after ‘nervous’ Champions League display
Arsenal legend Ian Wright insists that Jakub Kiwior is now impressing after a shaky Champions League display against Bayern Munich.
Kiwior has stepped up this month since the news that Gabriel Magalhaes, who has formed a wonderful partnership with William Saliba, will miss the rest of the season with an injury.
There were doubts heading into the matches with Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final that Kiwior would be able to handle the attacking threats in Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Arsenal centre-back Kiwior had a torrid time up against Leroy Sane last season but after starting their last five matches in all competitions, Wright is now confident the Poland international has turned a corner.
Wright said on Optus Sport’s The Kelly & Wrighty Show: “I think the nervousness came in the Champions League when Bayern Munich came and Leroy Sane really smoked him down that side.
“Ever since then, he’s been in and out and then for Gabriel Magalhaes to get the injury he got at that time, and Kiwior is the one that we’re depending on. Obviously, [Riccardo] Calafiori is not available.
“You would worry and you worry simply because of the players he’s coming up against and the level of the pressure at this stage of the season for him.
“But up to this point, he’s dealt with it unbelievably. He’s come in and he’s proving himself that he is good enough to be there.
“He might have been caught out a few times and he’s made a couple of mistakes, but when we’ve needed him in this stage he’s come through and the squad has come through for Mikel in that respect.”
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Arsenal legend Wright is convinced that their impressive 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League will help attract better players in the summer.
Wright continued: “I think Andrea Berta has come in at the perfect time and for us to play in those two games and put on such a good performance… as much as people talk about how poorly Real Madrid played, I thought we were so organised.
“We really put the game to them when we had the opportunity.
“If I’m a player outside of Arsenal looking to come to the Premier League, to a team that is going to be in the Champions League and challenging, just looking at what Arsenal are capable of doing in those two games without a striker, a new left-back, another midfielder, that would make me feel like that team is going somewhere.”
He added: “It would be a place that would be starting to feel a little bit attractive as well, simply because of the manager and the intensity and he’s trying to win the league and win the Champions League. It feels like it’s an exciting prospect.
“I think the Real Madrid tie really set off alarm bells everywhere that this is a serious team and I think the manager is the right guy to do it. We’ve just got to have patience with him.”
