Mikel Arteta sees Arsenal transfer decision vindicated after Liverpool change
It may have only been one half of football, but Jakub Kiwior produced arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt during the Gunners' crucial 3-1 win at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
Across 52 minutes of intense title race action, the Polish defender stood up to the task and ensured that unlike in the two teams' recent FA Cup clash, Arsenal wouldn't be on the losing side. Scorer of an own goal in that game, Kiwior was at that point the subject of increasing speculation regarding a departure in the January transfer window.
Italian giants AC Milan were believed to be pursuing a move, while a smattering of other clubs from Serie A and the Premier League had been linked. But when it came to decision time, Arteta chose to rely the 23-year-old for a crucial second half of the season.
Arteta previously blocked an approach from Spanish side Sevilla last summer and this season has primarily used Kiwior as his second-choice left-back behind Oleksandr Zinchenko, while Takehiro Tomiyasu deputises on the right amid new signing Jurrien Timber's long-term injury layoff. The Gunners boss called on Kiwior at half-time against Liverpool, as Zinchenko had suffered a reoccurrence of a calf issue and forgotten man Cedric Soares was the only other full-back option.
Fresh in the memory was Kiwior's shaky display at home to Liverpool only four weeks prior, but the former Spezia starlet showed a steelier side to his game, vindicating Arteta's decision to block his exit after signing him for £21million in January 2023. Starting our analysis with his only obvious error, the Poland international could've made it 3-1 much earlier in the game when he rather miraculously found himself in acres of space inside Liverpool's penalty area.
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His mistimed header at point-blank range dropped straight into Alisson Becker's arms, but Kiwior would be sure to make amends in the 92nd minute when he played Leandro Trossard down the left flank. The Belgian winger did the rest with an ice-cool finish between Alisson's legs which wrapped up a vital three points for the hosts.
Your turn! Does Jakub Kiwior have a long-term future at Arsenal? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.
Jakub Kiwior helped nullify Liverpool's right-hand side (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)From a defensive standpoint, Kiwior was solid and he particularly benefitted from Jurgen Klopp's decision to take off Trent Alexander-Arnold. In fact, Klopp changed his entire right-hand side just 13 minutes after Kiwior entered the fray.
Liverpool continued to look disjoined, as fellow Arsenal stars Jorginho and Declan Rice maintained the Gunners' stronghold in midfield. Kiwior chipped in with three passes into the final third, two clearances, two recoveries and one interception. The Anderlecht youth product also won 100 per cent of his ground duels.
Understandably, Arsenal's bigger-name players will take the plaudits after such an important victory, but plenty of Gunners supporters noticed Kiwior's impact. It's also worth noting how left-back still isn't his natural position.
Yes, he plays on the left of a back three for Poland and has largely been used as a full-back since joining Arsenal, but it's in the middle of defence where he's learned his trade. During his time at Spezia, Kiwior was even deployed in midfield thanks to his ability on the ball and eye for a pass.
There's still a long way to go when it comes to his Arsenal career and displacing one of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back remains an extremely difficult task. Arteta believes in him, though, saying after the Pole netted his first goal for the Gunners last May: "He is a player that I really like, that's why I signed him. He has the potential, at his age, to be great."
Arteta later blocked the aforementioned interest from Sevilla, keeping Kiwior in North London. In January, the player's agent, Pawel Zimonczyk, affirmed to Kanal Sportowy: "Kuba is an Arsenal player. There are no signals that they want to get rid of him."
Kiwior left the pitch on Sunday gleefully signing along to ABBA's Voulez-Vous, as the emphatic win over league leaders Liverpool marked the biggest upturn of Arsenal's season and, perhaps, his Gunners career. But maybe we're just over-celebrating it.
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