Arsenal: Krystian Bielik Still Surprisingly Not A Factor

Arsenal has not been able to produce many defensive-minded players in recent years, but Krystian Bielik was supposed to be different. So it he?

With midfielders like Kelechi Nwakali and Jeff Reine-Adelaide being given first-team numbers with Arsenal, my expectation was that the Polish defensive midfielder, Krystian Bielik, would follow. But he hasn’t. And I find that a bit unsettling.

Purchased in the same summer as Reine-Adelaide and many other of the current wonderkid stock, Bielik was one of the few defensive solution that Wenger brought in among a host of attackers and midfielders. It got me to thinking how few defensive products we ever actually see out of Arsenal’s development system.

Only Hector Bellerin stands out.

With that in mind, I consulted Arsenal academy expert Jeorge Bird over what was going on with Bielik and what to expect going forward.

Bird reinforced the fact that Bielik had not been promoted like Reine-Adelaide had, which made me wonder just how Wenger could justify promoting another attacking midfielder when the defense was so short-staffed. I had previously considered that perhaps Wenger was saving that gaping defensive spot for the young Polish defender, as Arsenal has since moved him to center back, but Bird was clear in his answer. He did not believe that Wenger would be holding up the signing of a true center back for Bielik.

Which lead to my final question. What can we expect out of Bielik? With Isaac Hayden’s exit still fresh in our minds, and seeing as how Hayden is a very similar player to Bielik, there may be some cause for concern. Hayden was a center back who was moved to defensive midfield, whereas Bielik did the opposite, but the fact remains that the Arsenal midfield is jam-packed with options. That’s why Hayden left.

So what would be different with Bielik? In a couple years, there are still going to be just as many midfielders, if not more, given the mass of youth products nearing their time.

Bird noted that, while Bielik is better-suited to play defensive midfield, it looks to be Arsenal’s priority to continue running him out at center back.

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That’s good and bad. It’s good because he won’t hit the same roadblocks that Hayden did, as defense is thinly-staffed with no relief (other than Bielik) in sight. However, the bad is pretty obvious. It’s not his natural position and it eliminates the part of his game where he gets forward with the ball.

I still think back to Bielik’s 30 minutes appearance against Sheffield Wednesday. He wanted to control the game. Everything went through him as he became the sheriff of that midfield. He loses that leadership as a defender.

I find it surprising that Bielik is still a non-factor. With such a clear avenue towards first team play as a defensive midfielder/center back, he was not given a first team promotion. Bird did note that Bielik will most likely participate in cup competitions this season, so we have that to look forward to.

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But again, if Bielik isn’t a factor, which is bothersome enough, then what is the hold up with the defensive reinforcements?

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