Jakub Kiwior admits 'surprise' after Arsenal exit as manager delivers verdict

Jakub Kiwior made his debut for FC Porto after joining the Portuguese giants on loan from Arsenal during the summer transfer window.

The defender left Arsenal on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan. football.london understands there is an obligation for Porto to buy Kiwior, which could rise to €27million (£23.4m), including €2m (£1.7m) in add-ons.

Since his departure occurred during the international break, Kiwior linked up with the Poland national team and met his new teammates earlier this week. Despite limited training sessions with Porto, he started in their Liga Portugal game against Nacional.

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However, the Polish centre-back admitted that it came as a surprise, saying: "I didn't expect it [to be named in the starting XI] but I can only thank the coach for giving me a huge opportunity.

"I'm very happy to have played this game. FC Porto is a great team, and it’s an honour for those of us who are here to play for this club.

"[Jan] Bednarek helped me a lot, but not just him, but the whole team. I've only been here a week, but they've helped me a lot because everything is new to me.

"It was a tough week, but with their help, it got easier. It was a difficult game but I'm very happy. It was difficult, we won and the atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic. It's an honour to play in this stadium with this team."

Porto head coach Francesco Farioli praised the defender's performance. "He’s an important player and the club made a significant effort to sign him," the Italian said.

"He’s a player who will bring quality and international experience. We're missing some players and had to speed up some processes. He played 90 minutes and showed good control of the game."

He made an impressive debut, earning a 7.9 rating from Sofascore - the highest of the match. The 25-year-old won all four of his attempted ground duels, his sole aerial duel, and completed 96% of his passes.

Elsewhere, Mais Futebol awarded him four out of five stars for his debut performance.