Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Jakub Kiwior joins Gunners; club receive setback in pursuit of Youri Tielemans, and more - January 24, 2023
Arsenal will travel to the Etihad on Friday to face Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Mikel Arteta’s men are coming off a thrilling 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday (January 22).
Meanwhile, Jakub Kiwior has completed his move to the Emirates. Elsewhere, the north London side have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Youri Tielemans. On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on January 24, 2023:
Jakub Kiwior joins Arsenal
Arsenal have completed the signing of Jakub Kiwior from Spezia Calcio. The 22-year-old caught the eye with the Italian club recently and was also part of the Polish national team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The versatile centre-back is comfortable playing at left-back and can operate in a holding midfield role too.
Welcome to north London, Jakub Kiwior https://t.co/fZaDhU3GDT
Jakub has appeared 43 for Spezia but is not expected to immediately break into Arteta’s starting XI. However, his versatility could make the 22-year-old an asset to Arteta in his quest for silverware this season. Jakub has signed a long-term deal at the Emirates and will don the number 15.
Gunners receive setback in Youri Tielemans pursuit
Arsenal have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder is in the final year of his contract with Leicester City.
He has not put pen to paper on a new deal yet, and the Foxes are resigned to losing him for free this summer. The Gunners are long-term admirers of the 25-year-old and remain keen to bring him to the Emirates this year.
Youri Tielemans’ game by numbers vs. Brighton:
83% pass accuracy
71 touches
12/15 final third passes completed
11 ball recoveries
3/3 tackles won
3 interceptions
3 ground duels won
2/3 long balls completed
2 crosses completed
2 key passes
Creator. 🎨 https://t.co/GH7EpjcM6R
It was previously believed that Leicester would prefer to offload Tielemans on a cut-price deal this month.
However, speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Ben Jacobs said that Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers is determined to keep the Belgian till the of the season.
“Brendan Rodgers is adamant that, because Leicester don’t have that much freedom in the market, he wants to keep Youri Tielemans and James Maddison until the end of the season. They’re quality players that could well make the difference between staying up and going down,” said Jacobs.
He added:
“I think with Maddison being out injured before his return to the bench on Saturday, the desire to use Tielemans and play him is even stronger. Let’s not forget that Tielemans has been captain for Leicester in certain games this season as well.”
Tielemans has registered four goals and one assist in 25 games across competitions this season.
Chris Sutton full of praise for Eddie Nketiah
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has said that he was wrong about Eddie Nketiah.
The 23-year-old has stepped up at Arsenal in the absence of Gabriel Jesus, who's out recovering from a knee injury. Nketiah has been outstanding for Arteta since the turn of the year and scored a brace on Sunday against Manchester United.
The highest of compliments for Eddie Nketiah 🔥 https://t.co/UXgMjQR6BE
In his column for The Daily Mail, Sutton said that Nketiah has ensured the Gunners do not miss Jesus.
“But on Eddie Nketiah, I got it wrong. I described Gabriel Jesus as ‘irreplaceable’ when he was injured. I thought Arsenal would struggle without him. Admit it, you probably did, too,” wrote Sutton.
Sutton added that Nketiah’s recent recent form could please England manager Gareth Southgate.
“England manager Gareth Southgate can only be loving this. For so long, we’ve wondered who can deputise for Harry Kane. Callum Wilson? Dominic Calvert-Lewin? Ivan Toney? Danny Ings? Well, how about the guy who took over from Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers as the record scorer for England’s Under 21s? Nketiah is showing why all is not lost if we lose Kane,” wrote Sutton.
Nketiah has appeared 25 times across competitions for the north London side this season, scoring nine goals and setting up one more.