“We made things difficult for Kiwior” — Arteta confesses

Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, has opened up about the frustrating start endured by Jakub Kiwior since joining the club, while also expressing admiration for the player’s recent development.

Kiwior, a 24-year-old defender signed from Spezia in January of last year, found limited opportunities to showcase his talent during the latter part of the season, particularly in the absence of William Saliba who was pivotal in Arsenal’s defensive setup.

Arteta revealed that Kiwior struggled to establish himself in the squad due to a combination of factors: his limited playing time and being tasked with playing in an unfamiliar position. However, the manager noted a significant improvement in Kiwior’s performance in recent weeks.

Primarily a central defender, Kiwior has showcased his versatility by seamlessly transitioning to the left-back position in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu. His inclusion in the starting lineup has coincided with Arsenal’s resurgence in form, propelling them back into contention for the Premier League title.

Reflecting on Kiwior’s journey at Arsenal, Arteta remarked,

“We made a decision to bring him in earlier because we believed we were assigned to have the role that he had, but he was going to need time and that was the case.”

The manager continued,

“We have made it difficult for him for two reasons: one because he hasn’t played that many minutes, and secondly because we’ve asked him to play in a position that he’s never played in before.

“I think he has adapted really well and he is playing better and better, you can tell that he is earning confidence and physically, he is better. He understands the role much better and he has been really good.”