Arsenal were the underdogs heading into the Champions League quarterfinal tie against 15-time champions Real Madrid. Things went from bad to worse for the Premier League outfit when their star defender Gabriel Magalhaes was out of the encounter with an injury.
It was down to Mikel Arteta to replace the Brazilian stalwart in defence, and he selected Jakub Kiwior, who till this point has always been an understudy to the defensive duo of William Saliba and Gabriel in the heart of the Arsenal backline.
But following the Spanish manager’s orders, Kiwior stepped in and delivered two of the most unforgettable performances in an Arsenal shirt.
He was decisive in both games as he kept the Real Madrid attackers at bay. It was only due to Saliba’s error in the second leg that Vinicius Jr. could score the only goal in the tie.
The Poland international was so good that he didn’t allow Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham any space whatsoever to have any impact in either of the two games.
To put things into perspective, Kiwior has only started four Premier League matches this season, proving that he is not in Arteta’s long-term plans.
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However, despite all of this, the young center-back stepped up and was undoubtedly Arsenal’s best defender at the Santiago Bernabeu against the reigning Champions League winners.
His performances were so good that some Arsenal fans started apologising to the 25-year-old for doubting him ahead of the tie. The fans understood the difficulty of the task and duly credited him with praise all over social media.
It is an immense challenge for any defender to step up immediately after not getting regular gametime till that point in the season. And to do the same against the European stalwarts in a knockout round is something monumental that Kiwior has pulled off.
How can Arsenal profit from Kiwior’s recent fiery form?
Despite his performances against Real Madrid, the Polish defender is not in Arteta’s plan, and reports (via Caughtoffside) suggest that he may be sold in the summer transfer window to free up funds.
Jakub Kiwior vs Real Madrid (A)
Stepped up when it mattered!pic.twitter.com/fdO5UQkO7x
— AFC_Adi (@AFC_Adi06) April 17, 2025
While there were interest from Italy earlier, now as per football.london, clubs in Germany are also monitoring him. Before Gabriel’s injury, Arsenal were certain to sell the Pole for a transfer fee of around £20 million, something that they paid to land him in North London.
However, following his performances against Real Madrid, Kiwior’s stocks have seen a steep rise. Therefore, Arsenal will hope that they get double the value that they were considering to facilitate the transfer of Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen or Brentford’s Nathan Collins.
Apart from Huijsen, the Gunners have also started monitoring the Ireland international, and they are impressed with his consistency, durability and robust nature in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
Arsenal already have the likes of Saliba and Gabriel, and even Riccardo Calafiori can also step in as a center-back with relative ease. But they are still look for someone of Huijsen’s calibre who will be the perfect fit in Arteta’s system.
Nevertheless, if there’s a possible bidding for Kiwior this summer, then the Gunners will be the biggest gainers.
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