A 3-2 victory against arch-rivals Manchester United saw Arsenal solidify its position at the top of the table.
The Gunners are now five points clear of chasers Manchester City and have a game in hand. It is safe to say, the title is theirs to lose.
The London club last won the title in the 2003-04 season, and more than two decades since, are in a prime position to repeat the feat and add to the 13 first division titles they already have.
To make sure they do so, manager Mikel Arteta has sought to add reinforcements to bolster his squad in January.
First came Leandro Trossard, for a rumoured £27m fee from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Arteta’s second signing, confirmed only earlier this week, was Polish defender Jakub Kiwior from Spezia, a Serie A club, for a deal estimated to be worth £20m.
The acquisition adds much-needed cover at the centre-back position, where Gabriel has played every PL game this season.
Kiwior is a Poland international, having nine caps and starting all of his country’s games at the Qatar World Cup. If the rumour mill is to be believed, AC Milan, Roma, Napoli and even Dortmund were previously interested in the defender before the London club sealed the deal.
At 22, he has shown great potential and versatility and seems to be just the profile of a player that the Gunners should be looking to add this season.
Mikel Arteta, commenting on the new addition, said “It’s great that Jakub is joining us. He’s a young versatile defender who has shown huge potential and qualities with Spezia in Serie A, and also at the international level with Poland.”
The player himself has been overjoyed since moving to the capital, saying, “I’ve always dreamt of playing in the Premier League. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and if I got the chance, then I knew I’d have to make the most of it because it was one of my biggest dreams. For me, it’s the best league. I’m thrilled to be here.
It’s huge for me that Arsenal were interested and that I’m able to be here. I’m aware that Arsenal are a massive club in a top league, so I didn’t really have to think about much else. I was just ecstatic and really wanted to come.
I love passing the ball. I like teams that move the ball and try to create chances that way. So, I’m happy that I’ve come to a team like that.”
While he is obediently saying all the right things about his move to the red side of London, there are indications that he would have preferred the blue side, i.e., Chelsea, or are there?
Exhibit 1: The Tattoo
As can be seen in the pictures above, his right arm has “CFC” inked on it. We PL fans only know one CFC and that is Chelsea Football Club. But does the tattoo have the same meaning or does it stand for something else, we are not sure.
The Reality: Turns out, it is most likely fake.
The initials CFC cannot be seen in the picture above. However, nothing can be ascertained as these are all images and can be easily doctored.
Exhibit 2: The Cap
Jakub’s now-deleted Instagram post had him making a pose in the camera. But the thing to note is the cap he is wearing.
The logo on the cap sure does look like the Chelsea logo. The exposure and the contrast mean we cannot see the logo clearly but it is certainly close enough to cause suspicion.
The Reality: The photo is now “deleted”, meaning we cannot be sure when it was posted, if at all.
Exhibit 3: Insta Following
This one is, without a doubt, incriminating.
Kiwior follows Chelsea on Instagram.
A quick inspection showed that he obviously now follows Arsenal, but has not unfollowed their rivals. Kiwior also does not follow any other club like Spurs, United or even Madrid or Barcelona.
There is no way around this clue, and it might be the one that proves that Kiwior is actually a Chelsea fan.
And if he is, it screams poetic justice for both sets of supporters.
Arsenal purchased a player who supports Chelsea, just days after Chelsea purchased Mudryk, an Arsenal fan.