“Selling him will be the greatest mistake made by this club, he played like Lamine Yamal and he’s special…I don’t want him to leave”: Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka opposes Mikel Arteta’s decision to sell Arsenal’s most promising young player

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already made a decision on the long-term future of a promising player ahead of 2026, with the Spaniard having no place for him in his long-term plans for the North Londoners.

Arsenal prepare for imminent Premier League return against Fulham

The Gunners entered this international break on a near-perfect run of form.

Arteta’s side, barring their 1-1 draw with Man City, have won every single match in all competitions since the last international break, including a dramatic win at Newcastle, where Arsenal showcased a Liverpool-esque ability to nick three points right at the death, despite not playing at their best.

Arsenal’s manager will be quietly thrilled by his squad’s reaction to their first and only defeat of the campaign so far at Anfield, with the Gunners’ impressive unbeaten run since catapulting them to the Premier League summit.

The only piece of bad news for Arteta recently has been club captain Martin Odegaard’s knee injury, with the Norway international not expected to return until after the November international break.

Odegaard joins Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke’s on Arsenal’s long-term injury list, but luckily for Arteta, summer signing Piero Hincapie is set to be available for their clash against Fulham this weekend.

Hincapie has been struggling with a groin problem since joining from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with a £45 million option to buy, with the Ecuador international playing just one minute for Arteta so far and still waiting for his Premier League debut.

The 23-year-old was brought in as a direct replacement for Jakub Kiwior, who joined FC Porto on loan in the summer window.

Kiwior, by contrast to Hincapie, has got off to an excellent start to his temporary spell in Portugal. He’s started every league game since his switch to the Primeira Liga, helping Francesco Farioli’s side to maintain their unbeaten run domestically and in the Europa League.

Porto have also conceded just two goals in all competitions so far, with the 25-year-old finding his feet very quickly abroad.

Jakub Kiwior to leave Arsenal for good after Mikel Arteta decision

Kiwior’s loan includes an obligation to become permanent for around £15 million plus add-ons if certain conditions are met, and it appears as if the Poland international is firmly on his way to meeting those requirements to seal an indefinite Arsenal exit.

This is just as well, with Arteta already deciding that there is no place for the ex-Spezia man in his long-term plans.

That is according to reports from Spain, which state that, even if Kiwior doesn’t end up meeting the obligation conditions at Porto, Arsenal are set to sell the defender next summer and have put a £21.5 million price tag on his head in the event he becomes available again.

As things stand, the most likely scenario is Kiwior joining Porto permanently, and it is believed they wish to secure his future in April or May after an impressive early run of form under Farioli.

Called a “sensational talent” by members of the media, it was always a tall order for Kiwior to establish himself as a mainstay Arsenal starter ahead of Gabriel and William Saliba, who’ve established themselves as two of the top five best centre-backs in world football.

That being said, his ability was never lost on Arteta.

“He [Kiwior] deserves a lot of credit because he hasn’t played too much throughout many months, and suddenly he has been thrown into the most difficult context,” Arteta said in a press conference earlier this year.

“At the highest level, playing against the best opponents when you haven’t had the physical rhythm or the confidence to do it, and I think he’s been exceptional.”