"I do not understand Arteta", "Disaster class incoming" - Arsenal fans react to 24-year-old star's inclusion for Zagreb clash
Arsenal fans have reacted on social media after 24-year-old defender Jakub Kiwior was included in their starting lineup to face Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatian giants will take on the Gunners later tonight (Wednesday, January 22) in the UEFA Champions League.
To the surprise of the fans, Kiwior has been picked to start the game. He has not played for the Gunners since December 18, when they beat Crystal palace 3-2 at home in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. He also played in their last UEFA Champions League match - a 3-0 win over Monaco, also in front of their fans at the Emirates.
However, Kiwior is not a first-team player. On the contrary, he has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal in recent years, and has played just 14 games across competitions this season. Those appearances, which have given him a combined 731 minutes, have come his way because of injuries to the Gunners' backline.
Players like Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and William Saliba are all unavailable, opening the door for Kiwior's appearance against Zagreb. However, fans are upset about this, and they have taken to social media to slam the decision with comments like these:
"I do not understand Arteta. Now he starts Kiwior but not against Villa" a fan complained.
"Kiwior’s disaster class incoming 🔥🔥🔥" another fan mocked.
"Kiwior mistake is sure to happen and we all know it, just how. I pray we'll be 3-0 up by then 🙏" a fan warned.
"Kiwior don’t make me look like an idiot today thanks" another begged.
"Kiwior playing basically means that Dinamo Zagreb will score at least one goal" this fan claimed.
"So Arteta just completely lied to our face about Kiwior not being able to play at RCB?" another was shocked.
"2-0 Loss cos Kiwior is starting" another claimed.
Mikel Arteta responds to rumors linking Arsenal to sign a striker
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has responded to rumors linking the Gunners to sign a striker in the January transfer window. Following a season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus and a long-term injury for Bukayo Saka, there have been questions about the team's goalscoring abilities.
They have been widely linked to a move for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, among others. However, Arteta is not focused on it. When asked if he finds it funny when the Gunners are linked to many strikers, he responded (via club website):
"No, I understand it happens. In the summer I had a lot of people texting me saying: ‘you’re after him?’ and sometimes I don't even know what they’re talking about. I don’t follow that too much, I have enough work to do and we’ve got a lot of things on so I don’t get too distracted by it."
Arsenal currently sit in fifth place on the UEFA Champions League table with 13 points. A win over Dinamo Zagreb will see them overtake Atletico Madrid and Atalanta and go into third.
