Arsenal entered a “gentlemen’s agreement” to land the signing of Spezia’s Jakub Kiwior, according to a fresh report.
It’s fair to say Arsenal, who are bidding to win their first domestic title since 2004, endured a tumultuous January transfer window.
Of their top two transfer targets Mykhailo Mudryk opted to join London rivals Chelsea over the Gunners, while attempts to lure Moises Caicedo from Brighton proved in vain.
The table toppers did make three January signings however. The club bought Leandro Trossard and brought in Chelsea's Jorginho on the Transfer Deadline Day.
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Meanwhile they signed Spezia’s Kiwior in a deal worth a reported £17.5million - a move that took much of the football world by surprise.
Arsenal’s gentlemen’s agreement with Kiwior
The Athletic detailed how Kiwior’s move to Arsenal came about.
The Gunners’ sporting director Edu Gaspar initially made contact with Spezia and the player’s camp in December, before the centre-back’s agent was invited to London Colney for further talks.
Although there have been reports of a “confidentiality clause” in Kiwior’s move, the club allegedly entered a gentlemen’s agreement with the player's camp to keep thing under wraps.
The publication claims that it is a source of pride for all parties that they managed to keep the move quiet before the announcement was made.
The 22-year-old’s profile is more in line with Arteta’s model than the Gunners’ other transfer business. They had allegedly planned to recruit a left footed centre back in the January window for some time.
And Kiwior is highly rated too. His international team mate Robert Lewandowski labelled the player “extraordinary” when he first teamed up with the Poland squad.
In September last year, Sempre Milan quoted Lewandowski as saying: “I noticed [Kiwior] in the warm-up before the game and wondered who he was.
“Then, I saw him in the game and I realised that he is an extraordinary player. He has enormous potential.”
Topics: Football, Transfers, Arsenal, Serie A, Mikel Arteta
Chris Byfield