Arsenal Confirms Kiwior Porto Exit Scholes on Rice Right‑Back

Arsenal confirmed Jakub Kiwior’s permanent transfer to Porto for a base fee of £14 million, with add‑ons that could raise the total to £19 million, while former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes said Declan Rice would be effective at right‑back because he is not a primary creator.

Arsenal sit three wins from securing their first Premier League title since 2004, with a Champions League final against Paris Saint‑Germain on the horizon. The club currently leads the league by eight points with two matches remaining, needing only victories to clinch the trophy. Injuries to right‑back Ben White and uncertainty around Jurrien Timber have left manager Mikel Arteta short of defensive options.

Porto exercised their option to sign Kiwior on a permanent basis, paying an initial £14 million. The agreement includes performance‑related add‑ons that could increase the total outlay to £19 million, a figure comparable to the £15 million Arsenal received for selling Alex Iwobi to Everton in 2019. Arsenal announced the move through their regular loan‑watch update, confirming the defender’s four‑year contract with the Portuguese club.

Paul Scholes, speaking on a football podcast, said Declan Rice would suit a right‑back role, noting that Rice is not a big creator. Scholes pointed out that Rice has already filled in at right‑back during Arsenal’s win over West Ham when White was injured, before returning to central midfield later in the match. Rice’s season‑long statistics show two assists in 35 Premier League appearances, underscoring his limited creative output.

The Kiwior sale removes a loan player from Arsenal’s books and adds up to £19 million to the club’s transfer budget, which could be reinvested in summer targets. With White sidelined and Timber’s fitness in question, the proceeds give Arteta flexibility to pursue a replacement or cover elsewhere.

Scholes’s suggestion that Rice shift to right‑back reflects a pragmatic approach to plugging defensive gaps without new signings. If Rice spends more time at right‑back, Arsenal would lose a box‑to‑box presence in midfield, potentially affecting their ability to dominate possession and create chances, as indicated by their average of 1.9 key passes per game from central midfield this season.

Watch whether Arteta experiments with Rice at right‑back in the remaining Premier League fixtures and how the club allocates the Kiwior proceeds in the upcoming transfer window.