"You could see his qualities" - Martin Odegaard backs Arsenal winter signing to get 'better and better'

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has backed Gunners teammate Jakub Kiwior to get 'better and better' at the club after joining in January from Spazia.

The Polish centre-back was among the three first-team players brought in by Mikel Areta's side during the winter transfer window, alongside Leandro Trossard and Jorginho.

The Gunners splashed out a transfer fee in the region of £20 million to secure the services of Kiwior from Serie A club Spezia.

Since his transfer to the Emirates, the Polish centre-back has only featured once for the Gunners, and it came in their Europa League clash against Sporting Lisbon.

Kiwior was handed a rare start by Arteta against the Portuguese side. However, it was a shaky debut for the 23-year-old defender, as he was guilty of Goncalo Inacio's goal on the night.

Meanwhile, the defender didn't receive any backlash from head coach Arteta after the game and was even offered support by teammate William Saliba.

This time around, team captain Odegaard has also backed the 23-year-old Polish defender to come good for Arsenal. The Norwegian midfielder stated that Kiwior is gradually beginning to understand how the Gunners would like to play.

Odegaard made this comment ahead of Arsenal's second-leg Europa League clash against Sporting Lisbon tonight (March 17).

In his words:

"Another positive from the first leg for us was Jakub Kiwior making his debut."

He added:

"It was great for him to get his first minutes with us because he's been training really well since he joined. So for him to play his first game from the start, in a big occasion like that, was a great opportunity for him and you could see his qualities.

He concluded by stating that Kiwior will only get better at the club as he adapts to life at Arsenal:

"I'm sure he will just get better and better now. Especially when he understands more of what we're doing, builds those relationships on the pitch with the rest of the team and develops the language too."

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Mikel Arteta reveals that Arsenal are looking forward to defeating Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates

Fulham FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League

The Gunners played out a 2-2 draw during their first-leg Europa League clash against Sporting Lisbon last week.

Meanwhile, both teams will meet tonight at the Emirates. A win for either side would secure them qualification into the next round of the competition.

The head coach of the Gunners, Arteta, has revealed that his team will be hoping to secure a win against their Portuguese opponents, Sporting Lisbon.

In his words, as seen on Arsenal's official club website, he said:

"We're looking to win. That was the same when we were in Lisbon, but we're gonna have to do better than we did in Lisbon to win against Sporting tomorrow."