Arsenal and Mikel Arteta must be brave and stand by £20m star as £50m ace linked

It isn't an overstatement to say this is the biggest week in the career of , both as a player and a manager. The Spanish gaffer and his Arsenal players are 90 minutes away from knocking record European champions Real Madrid out of the Champions League.

Rewind seven days, and it was Arsenal's unlikely lads . For the first time in his career, Declan Rice found the back of a net with a free-kick before emulating the feat just 12 minutes later. Mikel Merino capped off a night to remember for the north Londoners with a classy finish for Arsenal's third, giving them what should be, under most normal circumstances, an unassaiable first-leg lead.

The Santiago Bernabeu on a Champions League knockout night isn't a normal circumstance, though. But Arsenal have a big reason to be confident heading into Wednesday's second leg in the Spanish capital, and it isn't the fact they've already shown they can score past the Real Madrid defence at ease.

Instead, the performance of stand-in defender Jakub Kiwior, who was deputising for the injured Gabriel, should have all Arsenal fans feeling quietly confident, given he looked super comfortable while partnering William Saliba at the heart of defence. Kiwior completed 93 per cent of his passes in the first leg, as well as recording four recoveries and an interception.

The Polish star has come under plenty of criticism since joining from Spezia for £20million in January 2023 and has made just five Premier League starts so far this season. Granted, Arteta would no doubt prefer to be going into the Bernabeu battle with his first-choice duo of Gabriel and Saliba, but if Kiwior can replicate his performance from the first leg and help see Arsenal into the semi-finals, he might have just saved the Gunners a hefty wedge of cash.

That's because Arsenal have been linked to several defensive options in the build-up to this summer's transfer window, with Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen chief amongst them. As per , the Spanish international is rumoured to have a £50m release clause, with Arsenal one of the teams said to be exploring a deal.

However, any advancements for defensive reinforcements could be put on hold if Kiwior continues to prove himself as a capable deputy in the Arsenal backline. The 25-year-old might never carve out a starting position, but that doesn't mean to say he won't have an important role to play in Arteta's plans going forward.

And if they are able to put their trust in Kiwior next season and beyond, the money they'd save on not signing a defensive addition could be crucial in their hunt for a centre-forward. That will almost certainly be Arsenal's transfer priority, after all!