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Arsenal agree £17.5m deal to sign Jakub Kiwior from Spezia

By Ritayan Chatterjee on January 20, 2023

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Spezia’s left-footed defender Jakub Kiwior with the player flying in to undergo his medical, as per multiple recent reports.

The Gunners are keen on strengthening their squad this month in order to maintain their title charge and Belgian attacker Leandro Trossard completed his move from Brighton on Friday afternoon.

It has been reported that Mikel Arteta is also keen on adding a new left-footed defender to provide competition for Gabriel Magalhaes and Evan Ndicka was thought to be the priority target.

However, reports emerged out of nowhere on Friday morning claiming that Arsenal have agreed to sign Kiwior to reinforce the defence.

Writing on Twitter, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Arsenal will pay a fee of around £17.5m plus add-ons to purchase the talented centre-back and Kiwior has agreed terms over a five year contract.

Romano later claimed that the ‘contracts have been signed’ and Gianluca Di Marzio says the player is heading to London to undergo his medical over the weekend.

Kiwior to Arsenal

Following Fabio Vieira’s deal last summer, Arsenal have now done yet another sudden signing this winter. Kiwior, standing at 189cm, is a proficient defender, has an eye for long-range passing and is excellent in the air as well. So, he could be a very good deputy for Magalhaes.

Arteta wants to deploy a left-footed centre-back on the left side of the defence and due to the lack of alternatives the Spanish boss was forced to use Gabriel in almost every game so far this term. Therefore, the Polish international’s arrival will help Arteta to manage the former LOSC Lille man’s work rate.

Kiwior is also comfortable playing at left-back and has played several games for Spezia as a defensive midfielder so he will also provide some much needed cover for Thomas Partey in the middle of the park. Arteta likes to have versatile players who can be deployed in several positions and Kiwior certainly fit the bill.

After securing a deal for Leandro Trossard to strengthen the attack, Arsenal are now on the verge of finalising their second signing of this window. And Romano recently suggested that the Gunners could also strengthen in midfield and full-back before the end of the month, so there could be more business to be done at the Emirates Stadium.