The Gunners have 11 players who are contracted at the club playing at the tournament, although some could soon return to north London after failing to progress with their nations to the knockout rounds. One of the players making an early return is Jakub Kiwior.
The 24-year-old defender featured in all three of Poland’s Group D matches, which included defeats to Austria and Netherlands and a respectable 1-1 draw against France. The results mean Poland finish bottom of the group having only won one point.
Kiwior played every minute of Poland’s group stage games as a left centre-back as part of a five-man defence. Interestingly, for Arsenal last season, he featured predominantly as a left-back due to Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s injury troubles.
Frustratingly for Kiwior he didn’t have the best of games against France on Tuesday and in the second half fouled Ousmane Dembele in the box to concede a penalty. In truth it was lazy from Kiwior as the Poland star stuck a left leg out in an attempt to win the ball off Dembele as the PSG star dribbled into the box. Kylian Mbappe made no mistake from the spot to punish Kiwior’s mistake.
Kiwior joined Arsenal from Spezia in a deal worth £20million in January 2023 but the defender has failed to nail down a regular starting spot. This has led to reports the defender could leave the Gunners this summer, with Juventus and AC Milan two of the teams said to be interested in the Polish international.
Gunners themselves are keen on strengthening the squad this summer and although a central midfielder signing is the priority, a defender could be brought in. Edu and Arteta will need to decide in the coming weeks if they believe Kiwior has what it takes to compete for a club challenging for major titles.
His clumsy challenge on Dembele was rash and if he were to do that in the Premier League during a title challenge, it could be the difference between winning silverware and winning nothing. Still, the defender is only 24 years old and has time to improve.
Questions remain regarding both Zinchenko and Kiwior and their defensive capabilities. Whether the pair are still at Emirates Stadium come August 30 remains to be seen.
