Arsenal hosted West Ham on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners seeking to keep the pressure on league leaders Liverpool by securing a fourth straight win in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed the bulk of opportunities early on, but West Ham would have their first real sight of danger in the 26th minute. Eager to lead the high press, Riccardo Calafiori overcommitted and was caught out of position as Aaron Wan-Bissaka took a touch inside, burst forward, and shuffled the ball towards Tomáš Souček. He then made a beeline towards the byline and sprinted to the edge of the box before teeing up Jarrod Bowen, whose shot sailed wide of the mark. It was an encouraging pattern for West Ham, and it was also a sign of things to come. In the 44th minute, Wan-Bissaka jogged into the final third, bamboozled Calafiori with a set of stepovers, and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Bowen to head home. West Ham would go on to prevail 1-0 in North London, ending Arsenal’s unbeaten run of form at home.
After a season that saw him lead Bologna to Champions League qualification and start for Italy in the European Championships, Calafiori joined Arsenal for €45 million, making him their most expensive signing of the summer window. However, he has failed to convince in England and has been a liability at times in defense. Calafiori was replaced in the 56th minute by Myles Lewis-Skelly, who lasted just 16 minutes before committing a last-man foul and being sent off.
With Lewis-Skelly suspended and Calafiori struggling to adjust to life in England, Arteta may be inclined to change things up in their upcoming match vs. Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have ascended to the top three and are on track to qualify for the Champions League, and between Anthony Elanga, Ola Aina, and Neco Williams, they have sufficient weapons to put Arsenal’s wide defenders under pressure.
Even with Lewis-Skelly out and Takehiro Tomiyasu sidelined due to injury, Arteta still has quite a few options to experiment on the left side of defense. He could decide to move Jurriën Timber to the left and bring Ben White back into the starting line-up at right back, whilst he could also give an opportunity to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who replaced Declan Rice in the 56th minute, or Jakub Kiwior or Kieran Tierney.
After bouncing around from Poland to Belgium to Slovakia, Kiwior made the move to Italy in 2021 and joined Spezia Calcio, where he impressed under Thiago Motta and was often utilized as a defensive midfielder due to his calmness in possession. Following a 16-month spell in Serie A, Kiwior made the move to England and joined Arsenal in January 2023 for £20 million. He was thrown into the deep end and given ample opportunities due to William Saliba’s injury and a slew of underwhelming displays from Arsenal’s other defenders. The Polish defender proved his worth in the 2023/24 season by making 30 appearances, including 18 starts, and emerged as a versatile figure capable of slotting in at left back or center back. Kiwior made eight straight starts during a run that featured six Premier League wins and a goalless stalemate vs. Manchester City, but for the second straight year, he narrowly missed out on the league title to City.
An unused substitute in Arsenal’s first few matches of the 2024/25 campaign, Kiwior made his first appearance on September 22, replacing Calafiori for the final 24 minutes of their 2-2 draw vs. City, before partnering Calafiori in central defense in their 5-1 win vs. Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup. He started October by replacing Timber at halftime in their 2-0 win vs. Paris Saint-Germain, before coming on for the final minutes of their 3-1 win vs. Southampton. And after returning from the international break, Kiwior was introduced in the 37th minute against Bournemouth following Saliba’s expulsion. Rather than take the opportunity by the scruff of its neck, Kiwior let it pass him by as Ryan Christie opened the scoring for the Cherries in the 70th minute. He then made an ill-advised back pass to David Raya which was intercepted by Evanilson, leaving Raya no other choice but to foul him. Justin Kluivert stepped up to take the penalty and coolly tucked it into the back of the net to secure a 2-0 victory. In the ensuing seconds after the penalty, Kiwior suffered one of the worst fates that can befall a footballer: the dread double substitution, with Raheem Sterling replacing him.
Kiwior would close out October by replacing Gabriel Magalhães in the 54th minute of their 2-2 draw vs. Liverpool, before partnering Saliba in the middle of the defense and bagging a brace of assists in their 3-0 win against Preston North End in the EFL Cup on October 30. It seemed that Arteta had given him a reprieve and opened the door back for Kiwior, who played in six of Arsenal’s seven fixtures following the November international break. This run of appearances came to an end on December 18, when Kiwior started in central defense alongside Timber against Crystal Palace. He was bullied by the French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who shrugged him off and capitalized on his hesitant defending by opening the scoring after four minutes. Although Arsenal would end up storming back to a 3-2 victory, this proved to be the final nail in Kiwior’s coffin.
Since that match against Palace, Kiwior has been an unused substitute in 13 of Arsenal’s last 15 matches. His sole appearances, meanwhile, have come in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona. With Arsenal set for a challenging period that will see them take on Forest, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Chelsea, it remains to be seen whether or not Arteta will trust him to work his way back into the side and prove his value.
Credit: Arsenal.com
“[Kiwior] needs to leave, he’s not part of Mikel Arteta’s plans…he’s barely played,” stated Polish-born USMNT international Janusz Michallik.
“They’ve had so many injuries that he should’ve been getting more minutes by now than he is,” added Michallik, who covers the Premier League for ESPN and Polish TV network TVP Sport. “They want him to go, and he needs to leave.”
It has been nearly three years since Kiwior played every single minute in Poland’s FIFA World Cup campaign, as they reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 1986. Today, however, Kiwior finds himself at a crossroads in his career, and if he wants to be starting for Poland by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around, he may very well be inclined to pursue new opportunities. With a contract until 2028, Arsenal could afford to loan him out and let him recuperate his value, but they could also decide to cut ties with him permanently.
Having previously impressed in Serie A, Kiwior reportedly attracted interest from Italian sides Napoli, Juventus, Inter and Milan during the January window, only to stay put in North London. At 25 years of age, Kiwior needs to be playing regularly and getting his confidence back, and it seems that will not be a possibility at Arsenal. He’s proven to be lacking in defensive discipline and bravery in 1v1 duels, and with the likes of Calafiori, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel and White ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s evident that he will not be getting the consistent minutes that are needed to rectify these flaws.
Arsenal are already set to lose two left backs this summer – Kieran Tierney is confirmed to return to Celtic on a free transfer this summer, whilst Nuno Tavares looks set for a permanent departure after impressing for Lazio. Could Jakub Kiwior be the third on the chopping block?
Chief editor of Breaking The Lines, and writer for Coaches’ Voice, PSG Talk, BetUSTV, FotMob and many more….
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