When Jakub Kiwior was left out of Arsenal’s squad to face Wolves on Saturday, there were immediate fears that he may have suffered an injury.
Kaya Kaynak of Football.London quickly clarified that the defender is not injured, and he simply wasn’t selected for the game. But that just sent the rumour mill in another direction, with fans speculating that he could be close to a transfer.
Fabrizio Romano confirms that Kiwior could leave Arsenal this summer, and there’s a serious possibility of that outcome. Yet he adds that there are no concrete talks with any particular club at the moment.
Kiwior would reportedly love to return to Italy, but there’s no one club in negotiations for his signing right now.
Perhaps there’s some element of keeping the Poland international fit just in case he moves, but it seems the simpler answer is that Arsenal just have a lot of players in his position.
Oleksandr Zinchenko started against Wolves, and Jurrien Timber came off the bench to replace him, and that was without giving any minutes to summer signing Riccardo Calafiori.
Kiwior can also play at centre-back, but so can Timber, and so can Calafiori. Both did so for Arsenal in pre-season.
When Takehiro Tomiyasu returns from injury, he can play at left-back and centre-back too. As can Kieran Tierney. It’s no real surprise that Kiwior is finding it difficult to break back in.
All the same, until a club makes a serious offer, Kiwior will remain an Arsenal player. He’s under contract with the Gunners until 2028.