Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal transfer means out-of-favour defender will leave

Arsenal are linked with Riccardo Calafiori as their priority transfer target this summer. The Italian defender would strengthen the left-back position, despite his natural position being at centre-back. A new left-back signing is very good overall, but it could have bad consequences for some of the individual Arsenal players.

Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal transfer means out-of-favour defender will leave

One of those players who it will affect the most is Jakub Kiwior, whose best shot of making the starting lineup is by occupying the left-back position. Kiwior saw success in making the team in 2024, particularly when Oleksandr Zinchenko was injured and Takehiro Tomiyasu was on international duty.

That said, Arsenal will listen to offers for Jakub Kiwior to leave the club, most likely on loan, this summer. According to Football Insider, Jakub Kiwior is receiving plenty of interest in Italy this summer and it is unlikely that Arsenal or Mikel Arteta would step in the way of a loan move.

I must admit, this move does make perfect sense. Jakub Kiwior struggles to get into the team as it is, let alone with a new exceptional young player joining. Therefore, a loan away would be beneficial for him.

That said, I can't help feeling like Jakub Kiwior is at risk of falling into the "Arsenal loan trap". By that, I mean Arsenal loaning out players as a procrastination strategy instead of selling them outright. How many times have we seen Arsenal players sent out on multiple loan spells only to be sold for a minescule fee when they return?

In fact, the only recent example of a player who returned from loan to find success at Arsenal was William Saliba and I personally cannot see Jakub Kiwior following his trejactory.

Indeed, there are facets to Kiwior's game which need improving. He is far from being a perfect end product, which was demonstrated towards the tail-end of last season. Therefore, if he can tweak these minor details, he will have a better time at Arsenal. However, due to Arsenal's history of loaning out players, it often means that the end is near for them.

Do you think Jakub Kiwior has what it takes to make it at Arsenal?