Krystian Bielik - Scout Report

Krystian Bielik – Arsenal’s newest signing

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Why is Krystian Bielik in the news?

The 17-year old teenager who was acquired by Arsene Wenger from Legia Warsaw for £2.5 million traces his origins to Poland. The defensive midfielder was a surprise transfer for all Arsenal fans. Hamburg and Roma reportedly expressed interest in the player but he chose to move to London instead.

Bielik is also part of the Polish U-17 national team. Despite his lack of experience playing in the top division of Polish football, Wenger believes he will develop into a stellar player. The fans are surely excited to see what the youngster has in store.

Career so far

Having begun his professional career only a year ago at the age of 16, Bielik has already made it onto the radar of many big clubs around the world. He began his footballing career in his home town of Konin, playing for the city club, Gornik Konin. It was not long before he was spotted by one of the big clubs in Polish football, Lech Poznan in 2012.

The move to Lech Poznan spelt success for him in the Polish U-17 championships which he won as part of Poznan. Legia Warsaw acquired his services in 2014 from Lech Poznan, their bitter rivals. The transfer fee, pegged at £8800 was not indicative of his potential.

Henning Berg, manager of Legia Warsaw quickly gave the teenager a chance on the big stage. Bielik made 5 appearances for Warsaw in the Polish league, the Ekstraklasa and one appearance in their Europa League campaign.

Style of Play

Arsene Wenger has made it clear that teenager Bielik will begin work with the U-21 team. His development and ability to adapt to the English game will be scrutinised by the manager. When he is ready to graduate to the first team, Wenger will most probably use him as a defensive midfielder.

Bielik has shown to be a good header of the ball along with an eye for reading the opponents’ game plan making him an effective central defender. He can also move into a central defensive role even though he has never been used in such capacity before.

Wenger bought Henry as a winger and turned him into one of the greatest strikers ever. Alexis Sanchez who started out on the wing also started few games at the helm of the attack. If Wenger is successful in similarly identifying Beilik’s potential further up the pitch, we might see yet another world class player emerge as the brain child of the manager.

Wenger knows best

What he can do for Arsenal

Krystian Bielik has big shoes to fill. He will not be the first 17-year old to have so much expected of him because of Wenger’s investment in his future. Nicolas Anelka made a similar move from Paris Saint-Germain when he was 17. The Frenchman subsequently developed into a great striker at Arsenal before Real Madrid acquired me for £22 million. Cesc Fabregas 16, came to North London from the Barcelona youth academy and went on to become club captain in just 5 years. Despite his return to Camp Nou, Arsenal fans cherish his time at the Emirates and all his wonderful performances

Experts and fans alike are hoping the signing of Krystian Bielik to be yet another master stroke. Arsene Wenger has always had an eye for young talent. The likes of Flamini and Arteta, who currently perform defensive midfield duties, will soon have age catch up with them. Bielik, who will have reached his prime then, will step in. No matter what his future holds in store, fans have to be patient as this is clearly a long-term signing.

It is just one of those situations where doubts and fears need to be cast aside and we have to resign to a “Wenger knows best”.