Jakub Kiwior has confessed he found it difficult to say goodbye to his Arsenal teammates as he did not know his exit had been agreed until news broke on social media.
The Gunners authorised Kiwior’s departure after striking a deal to sign another defender who would have sat ahead of him in the pecking order. Piero Hincapié’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen allowed Kiwior to join Porto on a loan deal which is expected to be made permanent next summer.
While his limited role at Arsenal—he started just 10 Premier League games last season—meant an exit always appeared likely for Kiwior, but the Poland international admitted he was completely in the dark before Fabrizio Romano revealed news of his imminent move on X.
“It was difficult to say goodbye to Arsenal because I didn’t know when it would actually happen,” he told the Polish Football Federation. “If I had known the exact day in advance, I would have had time to prepare.
“In the last three days there, I didn’t know which would truly be my last. Fabrizio Romano announced ‘Here We Go’, and I started receiving dozens of messages and calls congratulating me. I was starting training. The players saw it on their phones and asked me why I had put on my kit if it was already closed.
“I refused to say goodbye there because I still didn’t have information about what might or might not happen.
“The next day I returned, already knowing I could say goodbye. I went to the pitch to say goodbye to my teammates and the coach. They set up a farewell tunnel, and it was tough. I didn’t have everyone I wanted to say goodbye to, and I still had to make some phone calls.”
Injuries impacted Kiwior’s time at Arsenal but the 25-year-old went out on a high with an excellent end to the 2024–25 campaign, replacing the injured Gabriel Magalhães and regularly shining alongside William Saliba.
Regular minutes were a priority for Kiwior heading into the 2025–26 campaign and he will now hope to retain that momentum with Porto, who are believed to have agreed to a unique deal which could see Arsenal trigger a permanent sale next summer if the Portuguese side do not do so themselves.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Refused to Say Goodbye’—Arsenal Star Stunned by Nature of Deadline Day Exit.
