While the winter transfer window within the Serie A seemed very slow for quite a long period, the dynamic quickly accelerated and altered as Arsenal abruptly entered the race for Polish prospect Jakub Kiwior and managed to secure the 22 year-old central defender for a hefty fee of €25m on a long-term deal from Spezia.
In addition, the Gunners stunned the Italian market yet again as they managed to secure Jorginho for a low-ball fee of £10m as the Italian international only had six months remaining on his contract with Chelsea, causing many of the top flight Italian teams to mark him under their radars.
With a lot of the Serie A transfer market news passing through the Premier League, the Get Italian Football News team had football journalist and transfer expert Steve Kay break down the action and provide his insight regarding the new additions to the Premier League.
Steve was first asked how Arsenal managed to complete the signing of Jakub Kiwior so quickly when many other European giants seemed to have been tracking him quite a lengthy period:
“Well, Mikel Arteta has been tracking him for a long while. I was told that they were tracking him long before the World Cup. To be honest, when I first got wind of it, I didn’t know too much about him. And then I watched him in the World Cup, and I was very impressed. I dubbed him the Polish Maldini because that is what he reminds me of. He is a fantastic prospect. Quick, strong. He’s a defender that’s made for the Premier League.
“He’s perfect for for Arsenal, because, I mean, everybody knows that he’s came in at left side and within the centre-back role as an alternative for Gabriel, if he were to go down injured or be used as a rotation in Europe. Kiwior is a big asset to Arsenal because he could also play in a defensive midfield position if needed. And that possibly maybe needed. Again, you know, just made for Premier League football. And for me, Mikel found an absolute gem. And as I said, He reminds me of a Polish Maldini. I’m a great sort of fan of but, yeah, I feel in a few years, this guy is going to be very special.”
In addition, we also asked Steve regarding the details of Jorginho’s move to Arsenal as it seemed that he was tipped to return to the Serie A with Milan and Juventus monitoring his contract situation closely, as well as whether he was a second choice to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo:
“Firstly, very similar to Kiwior, Jorginho has been tracked by our setup for a very lonng time. A lot of people seem to think that he was the second choice after Caicedo and then there’s sort of a panic that they obtained their second choice within the midfield. However, that’s not the case at at all as it’s a £10m signing of £2m add-ons, obviously that’s all going to be connected with the title. What I’ve tried to explain to people is that with Caicedo, if he would have came in, Jorginho would have still came into the squad. He just fits in perfectly to what Arteta wants. He can play many positions as he also cover Thomas Partey and play along-side Granit Xhaka, which is essential. He has split the Arsenal fan base a little bit, but he’s got proven Premiership experience.
“As I say, he’s won everything and thought it was excellent as signing. You could see, he’s going to fit in perfectly. But like I said, again, he was not a replacement for Caicedo and was not last ditch thing. He is someone who’s been looked for a long time and it was always coming in whether Caicedo came in. I think he could be the missing link to lead Arsenal towards winning the title.”
Finally, the team asked Steve about the great deal of interest from the Premier League for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who has been linked to the English league for several seasons now and has only 18 months remaining on his contract with the Biancocelesti:
“Arsenal have been tracking him now for a long time. Every single transfer window, the name of Milinkovic-Savic is discussed, probably the biggest name in in Arsenal transfers, and the one that everybody I trust told me that. This guy, as it was, was on the list. . The problem was the money at the time. As a result, Milinkovic-Savic wanted to stay, and he didn’t want to leave Lazio. So he was one of those ones where, I think Arsenal would have had enough money they would have been able to get him. There was also Manchester United who were very keen.
“I know Liverpool are interested in him. I know Liverpool have spoken to people inside his entourage as they are desperate need of a revamp within their midfield. Over the summer, there’s gonna be many, many clubs looking out for him within the Premier League, so I think there’s going to be a number of teams after his signature. He’s an excellent player that teams like Manchester United may need, and well, especially Liverpool. I’d keep an eye on Liverpool.”
Julian Faustini Ι GIFN
