Arsenal and Krystian Bielik: Why does this feel like a mistake?

Arsenal are looking to deal Krystian Bielik, but right from the introduction of this rumor, it feels like one giant mistake, and it wouldn’t be the first.

Arsenal don’t have a lot of answers to the questions being asked of them this summer, but they are turning to youth for a lot of them. Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe have all been promoted to the first team, but do you notice anything they have in common? All attackers.

Krystian Bielik is a defender who is ready for the first team, but rather than get the promotion alongside his teammates, he’s in talks to be transfer away, perhaps to reunited with Ivan Gazidis at AC Milan.

Stop right there. There’s no need to say any more. Because everything about this feels like a mistake, for two big reasons.

The first is that I just know we won’t get a good price for him. I’m thinking we won’t get more than £5m, because that’s just how the Gunners handle selling young players. Frankly, we’ll be fortunate to get that much given our track record.

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After all… that’s how much we got with Serge Gnabry.

But that’s not the biggest reason this feels like a mistake, though it’s a key contributing factor. The big reason is simple—because Bielik is going to be a star. The problem is that he knows this, his agent knows this, and Arsenal aren’t ready to trust him yet. That’s the only issue here, why Bielik isn’t being given a chance. Because the Gunners don’t trust him yet.

Wherever Bielik goes, whoever gives him a chance, is going to see why this young man deserved three improved bids from Arsene Wenger, why he thrived everywhere he went and why feels so determined to get his shot in the first team.

That’s what I don’t get. We have an opening on the defense, don’t we? It’s the place we need the most help at. If we’re promoting all these young players, what is it about Bielik that isn’t jiving with the men in charge?

This just doesn’t feel good. I’m tired of Arsenal getting nothing in return for young players and seeing them thrive elsewhere. This is built to become one more instance of the exact same thing. Granted, the deal hasn’t been made official yet, but it’s not exactly looking good. And I don’t like it.