Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie, and Jakub Kiwior (Photo by Eddie Keogh, Lars Baron, Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Piero Hincapie and Jakub Kiwior transfers are directly linked
Arsenal’s interest in Piero Hincapie is directly linked to Porto’s attempts to sign Jakub Kiwior.
The recruitment team are understood to view the Ecuador international as the ideal replacement for Kiwior, should his move to Portugal go through before the end of the transfer window.
So a lot depends on whether Arsenal and Porto can agree the final details on a deal for Kiwior, but also on whether Arsenal can simultaneously find an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen that works for Hincapie.
So at the time of writing this column it is still quite a complicated situation.
There were suggestions that Kiwior was going to be travelling to Portugal on Tuesday to complete his medical with Porto, but I was always told that wasn’t the case.
From what I understand there are still things that need to fall into place before Kiwior is allowed to leave and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that those things centre around whether a replacement comes in.
Arsenal have spent this window building a squad they believe is perfectly equipped for the club to be able to compete on all fronts and to be able to deal with any injury issues, so the last thing they want is to leave themselves short in a key area just before the deadline, especially with the possibility that Oleksandr Zinchenko could leave as well.
Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen
Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
They also need to ensure that a deal for Kiwior is in place, however, before pushing the button on a replacement as the squad simply does not have space for any more arrivals unless there are also departures.
So it’s a bit of a complicated one that the club are working on in the final days of window.
Jakub Kiwior fee looks a bit low – why are Arsenal so bad at selling?
I do think the Jakub Kiwior fee feels a bit low, although the overall number of the deal does shift a bit depending on who you speak to.
The final number coming from the Porto side of things certainly seems to differ from the final number Arsenal believe they will get for the defender.
From a conversation I’ve had there is a belief around Arsenal that the final fee – if the deal goes through – will be far closer to £30m than £25m, providing all the bonuses and add-ons are met.
Even then it feels a bit low to me, especially when you compare it to some of the other fees we are seeing players move for this summer.
Leverkusen are said to be holding out for Hincapie’s €60m release clause for example. Is he really worth twice what Kiwior is worth?
Kiwior has been a decent signing and last season he proved to everyone that he is more than capable of performing at the very highest level when he filled in for the injured Gabriel.
So I would have thought a fee closer to £40m would be a fairer reflection of his market value.
Shifting Arsenal’s reputation of being poor sellers is going to be a big task for sporting director Andrea Berta.
It is hard to sell as a Premier League club, especially when selling abroad because of the wages that Premier League players are on, but clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea have shown it is possible.
The last few years have been tough for Arsenal because they have been going through such a big rebuild.
Clubs have been well aware that Arsenal have been trying to shift unwanted players and that has put them in a tough position when it comes to negotiating.
But we are at the end of the rebuilding era now. The squad is stacked with top tier talent so from this point onwards you would think that clubs who want Arsenal players will have to pay good money to get them.
That will certainly be the hope going into next summer’s transfer window.
Arsenal injury update and how to cover for Bukayo Saka against Liverpool
There was a real sense of relief around Arsenal when the initial scan results came through early this week following the injuries suffered by Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard against Leeds.
Both the club and the players were very concerned in the immediate aftermath of the injuries, but the results showed that neither injury was as bad as first feared.
In Saka’s case, he will certainly miss this weekend’s game against Liverpool and will sit out England’s two fixtures during the international break.
Maybe the Nottingham Forest game after the international break will also come too soon for him, but there is certainly a hope he will be close to a return by that point, which will be a big boost considering Arsenal travel to Manchester City the following weekend.
With any hamstring injury, three or four weeks is really the best case scenario, so it has been viewed as a good outcome by Arsenal and Saka himself, who was desperate to avoid another lengthy lay-off.
Noni Madueke warming up for Arsenal
Noni Madueke warming up for Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
I think Noni Madueke will start in his place against Liverpool this weekend and that will be a big opportunity for him.
His signing sparked plenty of debate with many questioning why he was signed and the overall cost of the deal. What better way to silence those doubters than to produce a match winning performance at Anfield?
It’s not yet clear whether Odegaard will make it for Sunday’s game and it will be very interesting to see what Mikel Arteta does if his captain is ruled out.
I would love to see Eberechi Eze get his first start, although Ethan Nwaneri is also in the running and it would be a massive show of faith in the youngster if Arteta did start him in the central area against the champions.
Ian Wright is one of Arsenal’s greatest legends – he deserves a statue
The Ian Wright/Eberechi Eze content this week was so wholesome. It was impossible not to watch it as an Arsenal fan and feel it pulling on those heartstrings.
The joy on Eze’s face was amazing and to have Wrighty alongside him just made it even more special.
I know the subject of statue’s outside the Emirates can be an emotive one. Everyone has a view on who should be next to have one, or whether anymore are even needed.
There are obviously so many people connected with the club who would deserve one, but for me there is no-one I’d rather see immortalised outside the stadium than Ian Wright.
He was the player of a generation. The darling of Highbury. He arrived and rewrote the record books in a style that made him a hero to so many.
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He inspired a generation and to be honest he continues to do so with the work he does now so many years on from hanging up his boots.
Legend is a term that is thrown around nowadays, but Wrighty is the definition of legend when it comes to Arsenal.
It would be a rich reward for what he did on the pitch and what he’s gone on to do off it since retiring.
A statue of Wrighty and David Rocastle together would be perfect. It would mean so much to so many people. I have no idea whether it will happen, but I really hope it does.