Arsenal are in talks to sign young Spezia centre-back Jakub Kiwior, football.london understands.
Kiwior was said to have attracted interest from the likes of AC Milan and Juventus in recent times but he appears to be joining the north London outfit instead. A fee for the 22-year-old is likely to be over £17million and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has even claimed that a deal is already complete.
"Arsenal have completed the signing of Jakub Kiwior, here we go!", Romano wrote on Twitter. "Contracts are being signed with Spezia, fee in excess of €20m with add-ons. #AFC Understand Kiwior has agreed personal terms on five year deal — medical will be completed in the next 48 hours. It’s done."
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Like the Gunners' summer move for Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira, this deal has seemingly come out of nowhere, with Arsenal keen to do as many transfers as possible behind closed doors.
Kiwior has been predominantly deployed as a centre-back by Serie A side Spezia and the fact that he is left-footed will certainly attract Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who has made it no secret of his desire for left-footers in defence due to the increased passing angles it opens up in the build-up phase.
Speaking after signing Spanish left-centre-back Pablo Mari back in January 2020, Arteta said: “Mari balances what I want to do from the backline. He gives more options, more solutions, he opens up the pitch more.”
Kiwior will, of course, challenge first-choice Gabriel Magalhaes in this position but the Poland international's versatility could be extremely useful to the Gunners too. Arsenal's holding midfielder Thomas Partey has been so heavily relied upon both in and out of possession since his arrival from Atletico Madrid back in 2020.
Partey possesses a rare blend of intelligent reading of the game, impressive defensive nous and an ability to consistently beat the opposition press with vertical passing as well as progressive dribbling. The Ghanian has been a key reason for the north Londoners' impressive season, currently sitting on top of the Premier League table, five points ahead of Manchester City, who have played an extra game this term.
But the 29-year-old has never started more than 23 league games for Arsenal, suffering from a number of injuries since his arrival at the Emirates 27 months ago. Deputy No. 6 Mohamed Elneny is a solid squad player but he doesn't quite possess the attributes needed of a holding midfielder to thrive in Arteta's system, often opting for a safe pass instead of a line-breaking riskier option.
However, the arrival of the aforementioned Kiwior could allay fears regarding any potential injuries to Partey considering the 22-year-old's ability to play at the base of midfield. The talented youngster was deployed 19 times as a defensive midfielder in Serie A last season, meaning that Arsenal will now have much-needed additional depth in the centre of the park as well as defence.
The Gunners faithful will of course be hoping that Partey can stay fit for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign but if the tough-tackling maestro does spend some time on the treatment table, then their worries will be slightly diminished due to the arrival of Kiwior.
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