Jose Mourinho has asked Roma to sign Arsenal outcast in January - Reports

AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly asked his club to sign Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior in January to bolster his side's defence.

According to the Italian publication Romagiallorossa, Roma are looking to sign either Kiwior or Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur in the coming transfer window. The Gunners man joined north London from Italian side Spezia Calcio in January 2023 for a fee of €25 million.

Since completing a move, the defender has struggled for minutes as he's seen as a back-up to first-choice left centre-back Gabriel. Regardless, Kiwior has shown his versatility, even deputizing at left-back when required by manager Mikel Arteta.

According to the aforementioned report, La Liga club Sevilla attempted to sign Kiwior in the summer, but the move was blocked by Arsenal. Clearly, Arteta sees the Poland international as part of his plans at the Emirates.

This season, he's managed just four Premier League appearances, out of which he has started two matches. The 23-year-old has completed 16 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal since joining the club, bagging a goal and no assists.

Roma are seeking a cheap signing, given Evan Ndicka will be away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in January. However, this report claims that Arteta is still looking to hold on to his player.

In the long run, Kiwior could find himself behind several defenders, including William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, and Ben White. Hence, a move away could benefit the Polish centre-back.

---

Arsenal's Declan Rice claims he's not fazed by £105million price tag

Declan Rice (via Getty Images)

Arsenal's big-time summer signing Declan Rice has opened up about the pressure of dealing with the heavy price tag attached to his name. The England international joined the north Londoners this summer from West Ham for a whopping £105 million.

However, the midfielder has claimed that he doesn't feel the weight of the price tag anymore. Rice, who's been one of Mikel Arteta's best signings and players this season, said (via Independent):

"In terms of the price tag, I don’t really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible."

“Honestly, I just try to play my football. I don’t let it affect me in any way, shape or form. I just go to training, try to train as well as possible.”

So far this season, Rice has recorded 18 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, bagging two goals and assists each. He will next be in action when the Gunners face Brentford on November 25 in the Premier League.