Arsenal have come from nowhere to land Jakub Kiwior.
The Polish defender, 22, hadn't been linked with a move to North London before the news broke at noon on Friday that the Gunners had reached a £21million deal with Italian side Spezia for the services of one of Serie A 's most coveted young centre-backs. German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund were claimed to have launched a bid worth around £15m - rejected by the Italian side - while Napoli and both Milan giants were also monitoring his progress.
But Kiwior, who's left-footed, is set to head to London to complete a medical and put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Emirates, having spent 18 months honing his craft in Italy after leaving Slovakian outfit Zilina.
But just how much do we know about him? Mirror Football takes a look...
Who is he?
A product of local club GKS Tychy's academy before joining Anderlecht as a 16-year-old, he made his senior breakthrough in Slovakia's top flight with Železiarne Podbrezová as a teenager in 2019, making his debut the day after his 19th birthday.
Six months later, he had moved to Slovak big boys Zilina - where Milan Skriniar first appeared on the Europe-wide conscious, and while they were forced to release players during the Covid pandemic, he was kept on. Eventually, he 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.
Now a fully-fledged Poland international, he is already renowned for his composure and excellent ball-playing skills. Standing at 6ft 2in, Kiwior uses his frame well and excels when it comes to duels.
Keen to get on the ball - which both his national team and Spezia have demanded of him in their three-at-the-back system - Kiwior's line-breaking pass for Karol Swiderski's fine winning goal during Poland's 1-0 victory over Wales back in September perfectly demonstrates his ability in build-up play.
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How is his international career?
Kiwior represented his country at the World Cup as they reached the round of 16, starting all four of Poland's matches in front of ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and impressing.
Kiwior had only made his international debut in a thrilling 2-2 draw with the Netherlands back in June . He has since made nine appearances for his country.
What do they say?
While followers of Serie A will know him well, Robert Lewandowski's assessment of the rising star will likely please Gunners fans most. The Poland captain reportedly advised Barcelona to target Kiwior in 2022, after waxing lyrical about his international teammate.
"I noticed him in the warm-up before the game and wondered who he was," Lewandowski revealed last year. "Then I saw him in the game and I realised that he is an extraordinary player. He has enormous potential."
Former Spezia boss Thiago Motta liked to play him in midfield on occasion, too. Speaking last season he said: "We needed a player who would give us more balance and we found it in Jakub. He is a smart player and works very hard."
What are his Arsenal prospects?
It's not going to be easy for him to break into the Arsenal first team immediately.
The Premier League leaders have found great joy this term with a new-look centre back partnership of William Salilba and Gabriel Magalhaes; their partnership has seen £50million Benjamin White, a starter at centre-back in 2021-22, almost exclusively used at right-back this season.
Saliba and Gabriel will take some displacing, while Rob Holding is their first choice back up. Takehiro Tomiyasu can also slot in.
What will work to Kiwior's benefit however is his left-footedness. Of the aforementioned defenders, only Gabriel is 1. left footed, and 2. prefers to play on the left side of a centre-back pairing. It will be the Brazilian whom Kiwior is battling against to be in Mikel Arteta 's starting lineup.
