Arsenal star admits Mikel Arteta didn't want him to leave before £45m move was sanctioned

The series of events that eventually led to Arsenal committing around £45million to Piero Hincapie had much to do with Jakub Kiwior. The Polish defender’s exit to Porto in the summer was the catalyst that would see the Gunners commit to a loan move for the Ecuador international, which includes an option to buy for the aforementioned price that all parties expect to be triggered next year.

While there had been reports that Mikel Arteta was the reason behind Kiwior’s eventual exit from the club, the on-loan defender tells a very different story to TVP Sport. The centre-half explains that instead ,it was very much a move which was made real by him.

“I laughed at those stories because it was exactly the opposite,” he said. “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. 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.”

Of course, Cristhian Mosquera has since come in and shown that, despite the pair's presence, a young defender can forge a path into the first team. However, Hincapie’s move was still in doubt until Kiwior, as he explains, convinced Arteta to let him leave.

“I convinced him myself,” Kiwior says. “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.”

Hincapie is yet to make his Premier League debut after suffering a groin issue. Thankfully, Arsenal have great depth in defence with the aforementioned Mosquera in addition to Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Kiwior has begun very strongly in Portugal and has already become a fan favourite. He has also explained that his quality of life appears to have improved.

“It wasn’t hard to say goodbye to London, especially thinking of the sporting opportunities,” he said. “And yes, the weather helped too, it rains far less here! I wanted a better climate for my wife and our two dogs. We can spend more time outdoors by the ocean.”

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