Former Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior has spoken out about how he came to leave the Emirates Stadium for Porto this summer.
The Poland international is currently on loan at Porto, but there’s an obligation to buy in the deal, so he most likely won’t be coming back to Arsenal.
See below for Fabrizio Romano’s post on X about Kiwior’s move in the summer, explaining that it was a loan for this season, but with an obligation to buy at the end of it…
?? Jakub Kiwior to FC Porto, here we go! Deal agreed with Arsenal on loan with obligation to buy.
€2m loan fee, €17m obligation to buy plus add-ons and sell-on clause up to potential fee over €25/27m.
Kiwior scheduled to fly in next 24h as soon as documents are approved. pic.twitter.com/uAtqBDMRcX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2025
Kiwior was a solid player for Arsenal, but it looks like the club made the right call in eventually letting him go as he pushed for a move away.
Jakub Kiwior on how he ended up leaving Arsenal
Speaking about his exit now, Kiwior explained that he was the one who decided to leave, with Mikel Arteta not pushing for a loan or a sale.
The 25-year-old faced big competition for a place in the Arsenal defence, though, and figured he didn’t have much chance of getting into the team ahead of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
“The club didn’t want to let me go and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer,” Kiwior told TVP Sport.
“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.
“I convinced him (Arteta) myself. I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything. He understood my ambitions and my desire.”
Jakub Kiwior on choosing Porto transfer
Kiwior also explained how happy he is to have moved to Porto, despite the Portuguese league generally being seen as weaker than the English Premier League.
Porto clearly also convinced Kiwior by working so hard to convince him to join.
“It 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,” Kiwior said.
“I 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.
“FC Porto and Arsenal have a lot in common. Great clubs, big ambitions, amazing fans and stadiums, and strong traditions.
“It wasn’t hard to say goodbye to London, especially thinking of the sporting opportunities.”
About Author
