"He will be there in a few years" - Arsenal star's former teammates back player to join Barcelona in the future
Jakub Kiwior's former teammates have tipped the Arsenal defender to eventually join Barcelona in his career.
The Gunners signed Kiwior in January from Serie B side Spezia Calcio in a €25 million deal. The Polish defender is yet to secure a place in Mikel Arteta's first team amid heavy competition for places in defense. He has made 10 appearances since joining the north Londoners, scoring one goal and helping his side keep three clean sheets.
The 23-year-old's rise began at Polish outfit GKS Tychy and he then headed to Belgian side Anderlecht in 2016. He then moved to Slovakian clubs Podbrezova and MSK Zilina before earning his move to Spezia in 2021. He played 43 times for the Serie B side and his exit may have contributed towards their relegation last season.
Kiwior may be having difficulties earning a consistent starting role in Arteta's side but he has been backed to join Barcelona in the future eventually. His former youth teammates Mateusz Szlenk, and Nikolas Wróblewski reckon he has a bright future (via Sport Witness):
“There is a deficit in the (Barcelona's) defense line, I think he will be there in a few years and he will prove himself there."
The Catalan giants' boss Xavi has many defenders to call upon including Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Andreas Christensen. However, it's clear that Kiwior's former teammates are backing him to break out and eventually become a Blaugrana player.
His former youth managers Damien Galeja and Krzysztof Berger were just as confident that Kiwor would go on to have a superb career. Galeja even backed him to:
“I believe that he is able to become the leader of the national team’s defense after Kamil Glik."
Berger then added:
“When Kamil was young, his performances were not perfect. The defender needs to gain experience. If we give Kubuś a chance, in many years we will certainly have a great defender, a pillar of our national team."
Kiwior has earned 13 caps for Poland, representing them at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Arsenal defender has been selected for his national team's upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Faroe Islands (September 7) and Albania (September 10).
Barcelona are reportedly monitoring Arsenal midfielder Jorginho's situation
One player who could be headed to Barcelona from Arsenal in the near future is Jorginho. Mundo Deportivo reports that the Italian is on their radar as Xavi looks to add competition for Oriel Romeu.
Jorginho has lacked game time under Arteta this campaign, making 13 substitute appearances in the league. That has been a total of 17 minutes and there are question marks over his future at the Emirates.
The 31-year-old joined Arsenal from Chelsea in January for €11.3 million. He impressed during the second half of last season for the Gunners, bagging one assist in 16 games.
Barcelona only signed Romeu earlier this summer but Xavi may be keen to add further depth in the defensive midfield department. The La Liga champions are still dealing with the departure of long-serving holding midfielder Sergio Busquets.