Arsenal have confirmed their second January signing with the transfer of Jakub Kiwior from Spezia for a fee in the region of £21million.
The Polish international arrives for an initial fee of £17.5million with a potential further £3.5million in add ons. His contract will last until 2027 with the option to extend for a further year.
Kiwior becomes Arsenal's second January transfer after Leandro Trossard became the north London club's first signing of the winter window on Monday for a fee of £21million plus add-ons.
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Mikel Arteta had been keen to add a left footed centre-back to his squad after the departure of Pablo Mari left him with Gabriel Magalhaes as his only option in that department.
The Gunners currently find themselves on top of the Premier League table, sitting five points ahead of Manchester City having played one game less than their title rivals. One of the main reasons for their impressive run of form has been their strong defence, conceding just 16 goals in 19 league outings, the second-best record in the division.
Signing Kiwior makes perfect sense for Arsenal considering first-choice centre-halves Gabriel and William Saliba have started all 19 league matches this term, something that could potentially lead to burnout in the latter stages of the campaign.
The 22-year-old, who started all four of Poland's World Cup fixtures, is also capable of playing left-back and as a holding midfielder.
The talented defender played 17 Serie A matches during the first half of Spezia's 2022/23 campaign, averaging an impressive 1.62 blocks, 1.5 interceptions and 1.37 tackles per 90 minutes this term, as per fbref.
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