Jakub Kiwior has told Wprost that he rejected West Ham United before joining Arsenal.
The 23-year-old spent 18 months at Spezia before joining the Gunners in the winter market. His displays for the Serie A side had reportedly seen several clubs, including West Ham, table bids for him.
Last summer, claims from Italy stated Spezia had rejected West Ham’s offer but the Hammers reportedly continued to show firm interest in him until he completed a move to Arsenal.
“Super. It was something special, but it’s hard for me to describe it. I was very happy because the best league for me has always been the Premier League and I really wanted to play there, and when I found out about Arsenal, I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Wprost immediately asked the Poland international if Arsenal were his favourite club from childhood. When responding to that, he mentioned West Ham’s approach when he was at Spezia.
“No, it was more about the league. I had an offer from West Ham United before, which I turned down. They weren’t on the table, but they showed up. Then Arsenal came along and that was something special for me,” Kiwior explained.
The centre-back had to wait until March to make his debut for Arsenal and ended up making eight appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side. Kiwior is delighted with his decision to join the Gunners.
“I think I’m at the right age for the best moment in my career and to move forward. I’m happy that I changed clubs and got a chance and ended up in the starting lineups. It gave me a lot of confidence and I felt much better as a player and as a person,” he added.
