Arsenal ace admits he'd "like to play more" amid AC Milan transfer interest

25 January 2024 , 15:02

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Jakub Kiwior has admitted he wants more game time

Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior is determined to play more first-team football as rumours of an exit continue to circulate.

The former Spezia star was bought by Mikel Arteta 12 months ago for a relatively modest fee of £21million. The transfer took just about every Gunners fan by surprise given the lack of speculation regarding the switch over the course of the window, but hopes were high he'd provide something different to the Arsenal backline.

Unfortunately, Kiwior has found regular first-team football hard to come by under Arteta, ranking below the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba in the central defensive pecking order. Across all competitions, Kiwior has made 24 appearances in his first year at the club.

However, very few of those have come in the form of starts or full 90 minute appearances. This league season has seen Kiwior last the entire game on just two occasions, while four of his outings have been one-minute cameo showings off of the bench.

Despite that, the 23-year-old reflected positively on his first year in north London. Kiwior told Super Express: "I’m glad that I saw how such a large club works. And that I get another chance from the coach (Arteta). Now I want to see more of these performances. I would definitely like to play more, but I don’t feel like I lack experience."

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The Poland international did not shy away from addressing the speculation linking him with a move away and actually admitted he's flattered by the rumours. "It’s definitely nice and I’m glad there’s interest in me," Kiwior added. "But I focus on what is now. Besides, there have been no talks with me yet."

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Kiwior has been linked with a move to AC Milan (Getty Images)

Serie A titans AC Milan are reportedly keeping tabs on the defender. Currently, Barcelona ace Clement Lenglet is the Rossoneri's top target, but if they fail to land his signature then Kiwior has been identified as the back-up target.

However, the Arsenal star's agent has quashed any talk linking Kiwior with the Emirates exit door any time soon. Pawel Zimonczyk told Polish outlet Kanal Sportowy: "Kuba is an Arsenal player, there are no signs that they want to get rid of him and I don’t think anything will happen in the winter window."

Kiwior penned a four-and-a-half-year contract upon his arrival last January and therefore is tied to the Emirates until the summer of 2027. The Gunners boast the option of extending that by a further year should they wish to.

Josh O'Brien