Arsenal and Krystian Bielik: Let’s just slow down

Krystian Bielik enjoyed a terrific loan season at Charlton. He is now playing for Poland at the under 21 European Championships. But let’s just slow down before anointing him Arsenal’s next great central midfielder.

It is easy to get overly excited about young players. It is so wonderful to see them come through the academy system and move into the first team that whenever you see a player of tender age even hint at any semblance of talent, it is difficult to not get ahead of yourself.

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But it is important that realism reigns in these situations. Yes, seeing teenagers burst into the first team is joyous, but the expectations for their performances and the trajectory of their careers must be well grounded and sensible.

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At present, Arsenal have a whole host of terrifically gifted young players, talent that is very easy to suspend reality a little for and begin to look too far into their futures. Heralding Reiss Nelson as a world-class winger. Viewing Eddie Nketiah as the natural successor to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Expecting Emile Smith Rowe or Joe Willock to succeed Aaron Ramsey. They must be given the chance to develop and potentially flourish, of course, but that is very different to expecting them to succeed when they are given those opportunities.

Another name who has emerged in recent months as a potential future first-team player is Krystian Bielik. Signed all the way back in January 2015, initially labelled as the next Patrick Vieira, viewed as a central midfielder at the time, Bielik has only recently established himself as a potential option for the senior squad at the Emirates.

He enjoyed a terrific year-long loan at Charlton Athletic last season, including a Man of the Match performance in the playoff final to achieve promotion to the Championship, and has since shone for Poland under 21s at the European Championships, scoring in both matches against Italy and Belgium, playing in midfield in the former and centre-half in the latter.

These are all excellent achievements, a clear indication of his talent. But to think that these make him ready for first-team football at the sharp end of the Premier League is a little egregious and naive.

In his career, he has only 46 senior league matches. Of those 46, not one comes in the Premier League. Moreover, only five are in a top league, that being the Polish first division. Most of his experience is in League One, having played 31 games in the English third tier, all of them coming with Charlton last season.

I don’t mean to diminish Bielik’s talent. He is an undoubtedly gifted player who could yet turn into a long-term option for the Gunners. And I do hope that he can step up to the Premier League level, although I would expect him to be loaned out for another season, perhaps back to Charlton in the Championship.

But let’s not be too hasty to heap the expectations on him. Like with all young players, it is important to steady the hopes. And with a vastly inexperienced, 21-year-old Bielik, that is truer than ever.