Mikel Arteta thinks £58,000-a-week Arsenal player is not ready, Jose Mourinho wants to sign him now

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Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma are interested in signing Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior, a player who Mikel Arteta thinks is not ready for his side yet.

The Gunners will head into the winter window in search of reinforcements in a couple of areas of their squad, and defence is expected to be one of them. Kiwior hasn’t played a lot of football under Mikel Arteta this season, and he has been heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta thinks Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior is not ready

Arsenal signed Jakub Kiwior from Spezia in the January transfer window this year.

The £58,000-a-week (Spotrac) Pole is an extremely talented defender. He can play on either side of central defence, at left-back and also in defensive midfield if required. He has already shown flashes of his brilliance in the famous red and white.

However, there have been numerous rumours about Kiwior’s future in recent weeks. AC Milan have been linked with a move to sign the 23-year-old, and now, AS Roma have reportedly shortlisted him ahead of the winter window.

Corriere dello Sport (14th December 2023, page 16) claim today that Jose Mourinho‘s side are in the market for a new central defender next month.

Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah is one of the names on their wish list, but the report claims Arsenal star Kiwior is also viewed as a ‘good opportunity’ by the Serie A giants.

It has further been claimed that Mikel Arteta “doesn’t see him ready yet and could accept losing him on loan until June.”

Roma would ideally want a defender who has previous experience playing in the Serie A. Kiwior checks that box, which makes him a much better option than Chalobah.

Arsenal should keep Kiwior

“We are very short at the back,” said Mikel Arteta after using Declan Rice at centre-back in the game against PSV Eindhoven earlier this week.

The Gunners are without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber due to injury, while Thomas Partey, who has featured at the back, is also unavailable.

The last thing Arsenal need now is to lose another defender, and Kiwior, despite his struggles, is still a very important member of the Gunners’ squad.

Unless Arsenal sign a new versatile defender next month, we think they should keep hold of Kiwior for the remainder of this season.