Who is Jakub Kiwior? The versatile defender set for Arsenal

 

Having completed the signing of Leandro Trossard on Friday, Arsenal don't seem to be done in the market this month. Only Newcastle (11) have conceded fewer goals than the Gunners (14) in the Premier League this season, and yet head coach Mikel Arteta is still looking to add another defender to the ranks before the January window closes. 

 

On Friday, reports of Arsenal's interest in Spezia's Jakub Kiwior began to do the rounds on social media. By lunchtime, the deal was given the 'Here we go!' treatment by Fabrizio Romano. It is one of those deals that took many by surprise and was all-but completed quickly, similar to Arsenal's move for Fabio Vieira last summer. 

 

The deal leaves Arsenal with a raft of centre-backs on the books, and while Kiwior won't be a first team regular from the outset, the Poland international has the makings of becoming a top quality defender for the Gunners. 

 

Since joining Italian side Spezia in 2021, Kiwior has garnered regular game time for the Serie A outfit, ultimately playing a key role in their survival. Spezia may have shipped 71 goals in the Poland international's debut campaign with the club, yet having started just 21 of 38 league matches, the impact he had when utilised form the outset is clear to see. 

 

Spezia's win ratio increased from 17.6% to 33.3% when Kiwior started in 2021/22, while their goals conceded per game record dropped from 2.18 to 1.62 when the Pole was called upon, with the Aquilotti more solid with the 22-year-old featuring in the starting XI. His good form in a Spezia shirt saw him rewarded with a spot in Poland's 2022 World Cup squad, where he started all four matches as they progressed to the last-16, and it was in Qatar where he shot to prominence.

 

Granted, Poland would suffer a last-16 exit at the hands of runners' up France, yet Kiwior evidently caught the eye enough for Arsenal to firm up their interest in the youngster. What does stand out most about the Polish defender is his distribution. The way Arsenal play under Mikel Arteta is they rely on the centre-backs to play the ball out from the defence to help dominate opponents. 

 

This is clear in that William Saliba (64) and Gabriel (61.8) rank second and third, respectively, for passes per game of all Arsenal players in the Premier League this season. They have also returned impressive success rates of 92% and 89.5%, with the pair both developing statistically calculated WhoScored strengths of 'passing' as a result. Kiwior may not be of the same standard as the Gunners pair, but 43.9 passes per game with a success rate of 85.3% ranks second and first, respectively, of all Spezia players in Serie A this season. 

 

Clearly, there is work to be done, but given Arsenal dominate in the Premier League, whereas Spezia see far less of the ball in Serie A, Kiwior's distribution is encouraging. In addition, Kiwior is a versatile operator, who started his career in midfield before moving back into centre-back. However, while largely considered a defender now, Kiwior is still able to play the role, which boosts Arteta's options in two key areas of the pitch. 

 

Arteta likes his squad to be full of players who can play a number of roles, which explains their move for Trossard, who can play on the left, right or through the middle. In defence, for example, Ben White can play right-back and centre-back, while summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko is able to operate at both left-back and in central midfield. Kiwior, then, boosts this collective of versatile players in the books at the Emirates. 

 

 

Off the ball, he does all he can to protect the Spezia goal, going as far as to put his body on the line to deny opponents. Only Ardian Ismajli (22) and Kim Min-Jae (19) have blocked more shots than Kiwior (18) in Italy's top tier this term, and this willingness to throw himself in front of the ball has certainly gone down well with supporters and boosted his reputation. In addition, Kiwior is chipping in with respectable averages of 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 4.2 clearances per 90 in Serie A this season. 

 

Kiwior clearly boasts an impressive understanding of the game, and his composure belies his tender years. There are obvious rough edges to his game that need to be ironed out, as would be the case for a player his age, but his stock has certainly risen in recent months and for good reason. He may not usurp Saliba or Gabriel as first choice at Arsenal given the superb understanding struck up between the pair, yet he swells Arteta's centre-back ranks in north London and in the long run, could prove a fine capture by the Gunners.

Who is Jakub Kiwior? The versatile defender set for Arsenal