Porto complete £14.6m permanent signing of Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior
Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior has completed a permanent transfer to Portuguese champions Porto for an initial fee of £14.6m following a successful season-long loan.
The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Primeira Liga side.
The newly-crowned Portuguese champions will pay a fixed fee of €17m (£14.6m), alongside a potential €5m (£4.3m) in performance-related add-ons.
The Premier League club have also secured a €2m (£1.7m) sell-on clause, while the player’s new contract contains a €70m (£60m) release clause.
Title success in Portugal
The Poland international’s permanent departure follows an impressive campaign under head coach Francesco Farioli.
Porto recently secured the Primeira Liga title for the first time since 2022 with two games to spare.
Forming a formidable defensive partnership alongside former Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva and compatriot Jan Bednarek, the versatile defender helped restrict domestic opponents to just 15 league goals.
Despite quarter-final elimination in the Europa League against Nottingham Forest, Porto’s domestic triumph guarantees a return to the Champions League next season.
Struggles for game time in London
The former Spezia man originally arrived in north London in January 2023 for a fee of £21m.
He made 68 appearances across two-and-a-half years, primarily serving as backup to the established central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
His most notable performances in an Arsenal shirt came during last season’s Champions League quarter-final encounters against Real Madrid.
After initially seeing potential moves blocked last summer, the Polish defender approached Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during pre-season to formally request an exit.
Arteta praised for handling of exit
Speaking to Polish outlet Laczy Nas Pilka, the defender admitted that initiating the departure process was challenging.
“The earlier conversation, when I asked for the loan, was more difficult. I’d never done this before, but I felt the time had come to speak with him face-to-face. He understood me and supported me.”
Once the initial loan agreement was struck, relations between the player and his Spanish manager remained highly positive.
“We already knew then that I would go on loan to Porto. The coach emphasised how big the club was and wished me luck.”