Arsenal’s Polish centre-back Jakub Kiwior has been the subject of transfer speculation after a potential move to Sevilla was reportedly scuppered.

New details have emerged about the failed transfer, suggesting that the decision to keep Kiwior was made by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta himself.

Jakub Kiwior only joined Arsenal in January this year from Spezia Calcio for €25m and has, as expected, had limited time on the pitch.

Last season, he clocked only 427 minutes across seven Premier League appearances. This was despite the injury to William Saliba that left Arsenal short of options at centre-back.

This season, Kiwior’s record hasn’t improved substantially, registering just four league appearances amounting to 182 minutes of playtime (excluding injury time).

However, the talented 23-year-old Polish centre-back is very much in Arteta’s plans for the squad, as evidenced by the manager’s refusal to let the player leave on loan over the summer when Sevilla expressed interest in signing him.

According to information disclosed by Polish journalist Mateusz Borek on the programme Power of Futbolu, as relayed by TVP Sport, Kiwior’s loan transfer to Sevilla was halted by Arteta.

Borek explained the situation, stating: “We haven’t talked about it publicly, but some time has passed. The topic is no longer hot and in hindsight, no one will be offended if we reveal the name of the club.

“Sevilla really wanted to loan Kiwior to join them in the last transfer window. The club was supposed to fight until the end, but it was not enough to convince the Arsenal coach.

“Arteta said no to Sevilla. That’s why Kiwior stayed at Arsenal.”

That’s no surprise. “He is a player that I really like, that’s why I signed him,” Arteta said previously. “He has the potential, at his age, to be great.”

For the player’s part, Kiwior seems happy in London. Speaking just last month, Kiwior explained the ‘high emotions’ that came with signing for a club like Arsenal.

“The emotions were high from the very beginning – even from the moment I heard the rumours that they were interested in me,” he said. “That alone was huge for me. After that, I was very happy to sign.”

Despite being desperate to play, Kiwior is also content with the way Arteta is integrating him into life in England and the Premier League. “I wanted to play minutes as soon as possible but I was told that I needed to be calm, that I needed time to settle in,” he explained.

“Those two months were important for me. It was a big change. I just tried to be focused in the training sessions and to get settled. The minutes eventually came, so it was a very valuable time.”

Kiwior is contracted with Arsenal until June 2028, and his market value has risen to €25m, the same as his transfer fee. He was only valued at around €8m when Arsenal purchased him, showing the faith the club have in him.

His past clubs include Spezia Calcio, for which he played 43 matches, and MSK Zilina, where he made 61 appearances. Kiwior has also had stints at FK Zeleziarne Podbrezova and in RSC Anderlecht’s U19 and U21 squads.

While Kiwior’s progress at Arsenal has been slow, he remains an essential part of Arteta’s vision for the club’s future and is likely to start against West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

This is, after all, the defender about whom Robert Lewandowski said, “I first noticed him in the warm-up against the Netherlands and I thought: ‘Shit, what kind of player is he?'”

“I saw his moves, passing, overhead kicks, and how he’s using his foot. And during the game, I was like: ‘Wow, great potential.'”