Arsenal icon Gilberto Silva has publicly issued his support to Gunners January signing Jakub Kiwior after a promising first Premier League start for the Poland international on Tuesday night.
Manager Mikel Arteta named Kiwior in his starting line-up for the visit of Chelsea at the Emirates in a game that Arsenal largely dominated and won convincingly by a scoreline of 3-1. A brace from Martin Odegaard and a 10th league goal of the season for Gabriel Jesus meant Noni Madueke's second-half strike for the Blues was little more than a consolation.
In truth, Kiwior's performance at the heart of the Arsenal defence was perhaps deserving of a clean sheet and the former Spezia star was not at fault for the goal the Gunners did concede.
The 23-year-old showcased some of the key reasons why Arteta was so keen to pry him away from the Serie A outfit in January, with Kiwior's technical ability and composure on the ball impressing the Arsenal home faithful against a Chelsea side in disarray.
It certainly caught the eye of Gilberto, who waxed lyrical about Kiwior's first league start. "It was great, he did a great game and I was very happy for him to see him on the field," the former Brazil international claimed.
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"You see, the team is fighting for the title and then you have one young lad who comes in for his first start of the season against Chelsea, where Arsenal need to come back after the last three results, he had to respond and help the team on the field and he did it so well."
Kiwior hardly put a foot wrong against a Chelsea side that offered very little going forward, but it remains to be seen whether Arteta will hand him a second successive start for Sunday's huge clash at Newcastle.
The Magpies pose a significantly greater threat than Chelsea as they bid for a top four finish and Champions League qualification. The likes of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson are in fine form and will be out to inflict misery on the Gunners.
With anything less than a win putting the nail in the coffin of Arsenal's title hopes, Arteta could opt for the experience of Rob Holding - the man Kiwior replaced against Chelsea.
Holding has come in for some serious criticism in recent weeks, particularly after his poor display during the 4-1 defeat away at Manchester City, but could be deemed the safer option given what is on the line.
Arsenal no longer have any margin for error and that may factor into Arteta's team selection at Newcastle.
