Arsenal had a VIP spectator for Sunday’s crunch clash against Manchester United, with Jakub Kiwior spotted in the stands at the Emirates Stadium.
Kiwior was in attendance at the Premier League game ahead of a transfer from Spezia to Arsenal. The Polish international is expected to complete a £21million move from Italy to north London in the coming days after the two clubs agreed the deal.
The 22-year-old defender is poised to pen a five-and-a-half-year contract with the Gunners and become the second signing of the January transfer window, after Leandro Trossard. He is understood to have undergone a medical on Sunday before heading to the Emirates to watch his new team in action.
The Sky Sports TV cameras captured Kiwior in the directors’ box alongside sporting director Edu, with a tweet from Goal reporter Charles Watt showing the meeting. He was far from the only notable face in the posh seats at the Emirates, with David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson among the visitors supporting United.
Kiwior’s trip to London means he has missed Spezia’s Serie A match against Roma on Sunday. And that has irritated Spezia manager Luca Gotti, who bemoaned the sale in his pre-match press conference.
"I am very happy for Kiwior and this opportunity he created for himself. It is also the biggest sale in Spezia’s history and I imagine the club is happy with that too.
"However, I cannot be happy with it. There are coaches who constantly complain and ask for reinforcements, that is not me but I am often in a situation where my clubs sell at a big profit.
"That doesn’t mean the players who arrive to replace them are worse, they are merely less ready to deliver. It is frustrating for a coach, as when you work to build them up, you then don’t get to enjoy the fruits of your labour, as they are sold and you press the reset button."
The deal for Kiwior is expected to be announced on Monday or Tuesday by Arsenal, who moved fast to sign the young defender, who started all four of Poland’s matches at the World Cup. He impressed Mikel Arteta with his performances in Qatar to earn the transfer.
Arsenal have beaten Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli to the signing. Kiwior started his career with local side GKS Tychy before joining Anderlecht as a 16-year-old. He made his senior breakthrough in Slovakia's top flight with Železiarne Podbrezová before moving to another Slovakian club, Zilina.
The left-sided centre-back joined Spezia in a £1.9m move in August 2021, and has racked up 43 appearances in all competitions for them since moving to Italy.
