Arsenal confirm signing of defender Jakub Kiwior from Spezia

Arsenal have unveiled their signing of Polish centre-back Jakub Kiwior from Serie A side Spezia.

The 22-year-old was a regular in Italy this season and impressed enough to earn himself a move to the Premier League leaders, who have agreed to pay around £20m to bring Kiwior to the Emirates this month.

Confirmation of his move to Arsenal may have come a little quicker than the Gunners had hoped, with Kiwior’s first interview with club media going live online before any official announcement was made.

Fans would only have to wait a few minutes, however, with Arsenal soon confirming Kiwior had signed a ‘long-term contract’.

“It’s great that Jakub is joining us,” said manager Mikel Arteta. “He’s a young versatile defender who has shown huge potential and qualities with Spezia in Serie A, and also at international level with Poland.

“Jakub is a player who will give us strength and quality to our defensive unit. We welcome Jakub and his family to Arsenal and look forward to working with him.”

Sporting director Edu added: “We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Jakub Kiwior. He’s a young talent who we’ve been monitoring for a while now. We are now all looking forward to working with Jakub and seeing his continued development with us. We welcome Jakub to Arsenal.”