“Then Arsenal came along and that was something special” – Defender says he turned down Premier League club before Emirates switch
Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior has revealed that he turned down a move to West Ham United after the Gunners came calling. The Poland international moved to north London in January this year.
Arsenal signed him in a £20 million deal from Italian side Spezia Calcio on a five-year contract. But he had to wait until March to make his first appearance for Mikel Arteta's side.
Talking about his move to Arsenal with Polish magazine Wprost, he shed light on his first reaction after hearing of the Gunners' interest. He said:
“Super. It was something special, but it’s hard for me to describe it. I was very happy because the best league for me has always been the Premier League and I really wanted to play there, and when I found out about Arsenal, I couldn’t believe it.”
He was further quizzed whether Arsenal were his favorite English club, to which he replied:
“No, it was more about the league. I had an offer from West Ham United before, which I turned down. They weren’t on the table, but they showed up. Then Arsenal came along and that was something special for me.”
Arsenal were on the lookout for a left-footed centre-back who could provide competition to Gabriel Magalhaes for the spot. They eventually signed Kiwior, who was their second signing of the winter window after Leandro Trossard.
Kiwior believes Arsenal move came at the "best moment" in his career
Jakub Kiwior opened up about his move to Arsenal, saying it was the best thing that could have happened to his career. He believes 22 years of age is the perfect time for him to join a club of this stature.
The defender also pointed out that his Gunners debut gave him a lot of confidence, saying:
“I think I’m at the right age for the best moment in my career and to move forward. I’m happy that I changed clubs and got a chance and ended up in the starting lineups. It gave me a lot of confidence and I felt much better as a player and as a person.”
Kiwior made eight appearances for Arsenal across competitions, scoring one goal as well, in the 2022/23 season.