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<\/div>Jakub Kiwior has revealed how he personally persuaded Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to let him leave for Porto this summer.<\/p>\n
Reports had suggested that the north London club were keen to offload the Polish centre-back, but Kiwior insists that was not the case.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old made 68 appearances for the Gunners and became increasingly important last season, starting both legs of Arsenal\u2019s Champions League semi-final clash with PSG in Gabriel\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
This summer, the arrivals of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie made competition for places even tougher, prompting Kiwior to seek regular game-time elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u2018The club didn\u2019t want to let me go and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer,\u2019 he told TVP Sport<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro\u2019s Football Newsletter. <\/p>\n Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we\u2019ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018I was valued there; no one wanted to get rid of me. Arteta didn\u2019t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted.\u2019<\/p>\n The decision to leave, Kiwior says, was entirely his own.<\/p>\n \u2018The decision to leave was entirely mine,\u2019 he added. \u2018I wanted to play, but with Gabriel and Saliba ahead of me, the chances were small.\u2019<\/p>\n Kiwior then took matters into his own hands, speaking directly to Arteta about his ambitions.<\/p>\n \u2018I convinced him myself,\u2019 he revealed. \u2018I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything. He understood my ambitions and my desire.\u2019<\/p>\n It was Porto, though, who kept applying pressure until the deal was done.<\/p>\n Kiwior said: \u2018It was FC Porto who convinced me. At one point, they were calling every day. They fought hard and never gave up, even after several rejections from Arsenal.\u2019<\/p>\n The 25-year-old has quickly settled in Portugal, linking up with former Southampton player and international teammate Jan Bednarek.<\/p>\n Kiwior\u2019s move is a season-long loan from Arsenal, who signed him from Serie A side Spezia for \u20ac20m (\u00a317.6m) in 2023.<\/p>\n \u2018I had many offers, but when I saw Jan Bednarek had joined, I told myself: if it works out, it will be great, and it really is,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n Kiwior has featured in five games for Porto this season, including last weekend\u2019s goalless draw with Jose Mourinho\u2019s Benfica, as the Portuguese champions remain unbeaten and three points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga.<\/p>\n Above all, Kiwior is adamant that leaving the Premier League isn\u2019t a step down.<\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t see it that way,\u2019 he insisted. \u2018FC Porto and Arsenal have a lot in common. Great clubs, big ambitions, amazing fans and stadiums, and strong traditions.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018It wasn\u2019t hard to say goodbye to London, especially thinking of the sporting opportunities.\u2019<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,\u00a0<\/strong>Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\tGet personalised updates on Arsenal everyday\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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