There are a lot of Arsenal fans, myself included, who likely thought when Gabriel Magalhaes limped off and subsequently revealed that he would need hamstring surgery that it could harpoon the club's hopes of a special end to the campaign. Only a week to go until the first leg match with Real Madrid, and arguably the best player of the current season was now out with a long-term injury.
This was in part because the faith in his replacement, Jakub Kiwior, simply was not there. Kiwior had struggled in last season’s Champions League quarter-final when he had to move to left-back in the absence of other natural options and, in fairness, some impressive form domestically.
He would endure a nightmare against Leroy Sane, who exposed his frailties in the role. That said, Kiwior, while having played a lot at full-back, simply is not a left-back by trade and far more comfortable in a central area surrounded by others.
Therefore, when Kiwior was selected by Mikel Arteta to start the first leg against Real Madrid, there were plenty of premature views on the player and how he might cope. To be fair, coming up against Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and company is probably enough to justify some concern.
Yet across both legs he dealt with the monumental level of the competition very well indeed, and now fans are waxing lyrical about how he has pocketed the most famous club in the world's forward line. It leaves us with a question ahead of the summer window.
Prior to the injury to Gabriel, it was unlikely Kiwior would have made much of a dent on the big occasion. He might've been used in the league games to help rotate and rest either of the Brazilian or William Saliba, but that pair was never being broken in Europe unless something itself broke.
As a result, Kiwior was being touted heavily with a summer exit. football.london understands that there was significant interest from Italy in the player last summer and that many clubs are still monitoring his progress; more than just in Italy too, with some Bundesliga sides taking an interest in the past few months.
Arsenal might have been fortunate to break even on the approximate £20million that they paid for, Kiwior but his performances and the subsequent hike in interest could have a similar impact on the Gunners' asking price. The club are themselves looking at further defensive reinforcement in the summer, with Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth a known target.
It is hoped Riccardo Calafiori can recover from injury soon and could have a say in the minutes on offer to close out the campaign. Due to his lack of availability, though, he too has seen his future somewhat fall into an element of doubt.
Arsenal will be hoping to get plenty of capital for whoever they sell. Some believe that following these performances, Kiwior in particular could even double what his market value had dropped to amid the potential for a summer bidding war. In reality, the likelihood is while the club could make a profit, it will still need to be realistic for teams on the continent to pay for.
