Arsenal have quietly announced that Jakub Kiwior has joined Porto on a permanent transfer.
Kiwior made the switch to Portugal last summer, signing for Porto on a season-long loan deal which was always expected to be made permanent at the end of the season.
In fact, Porto confirmed last week that they had triggered the option to sign the Poland international on a four-year deal for an initial £14million fee that could rise to £19million.
A statement reads: “FC Porto has exercised the purchase option stipulated in the loan agreement with Arsenal FC and will now permanently own the sporting registration rights and 100% of the economic rights of Jakub Kiwior for a fixed fee of €17 million, plus a maximum variable remuneration of €5 million depending on the achievement of certain objectives.
“Arsenal FC will retain a fixed amount of €2 million in any potential future transfer of the player.
“It is further informed that FC Porto has signed a contract with the Polish international defender valid until June 2030, with a release clause of €70 million.
“Arsenal FC will assume responsibility for the solidarity mechanism due to third parties, and FC Porto declares that this transfer did not involve any intermediary intervention.”
Kiwior’s departure has now been confirmed by Arsenal, with the club officially commenting on the transfer in their weekly loan watch.
“Jakub Kiwior’s move to Porto has now become permanent following the Dragaos’ Liga Portugal title triumph last weekend,” a post reads.
“The Polish defender was an unused substitute in this weekend’s 3-1 defeat at AFS, in which the team was rotated.”
Kiwior did not feature in any of Arsenal’s first three games of the Premier League season, though he was an unused substitute for the 5-0 win over Leeds on August 23.
Just over a week later his loan move to Porto was completed as competition for places had increased following the arrivals of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, leading to talks with Mikel Arteta.
“I laughed at that information because it was the exact opposite,” Kiwior told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport, when asked about the Gunners looking to sell him.
“Arsenal didn’t want to let me leave London and didn’t agree to a transfer for a long time. I was valued for the player and footballer I was. Nobody wanted to get rid of me.
“The club didn’t want to let me go and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer. I was valued there; no one wanted to get rid of me.
Arsenal didn’t want to let me leave London and didn’t agree to a transfer for a long time
“Arteta didn’t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted. The decision to leave was entirely mine. I wanted to play, but with Gabriel and Saliba ahead of me, the chances were small.
“I convinced him (Arteta) myself. I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything. He understood my ambitions and my desire to play, and he thanked me for how I behaved as both a person and a player.
“He accepted my reasoning, spoke with the sporting director, and things moved quickly after that.”
