After four years at Arsenal following his transfer from Legia Warszawa back in 2015, Krystian Bielik decided it was time to guarantee himself some first-team football elsewhere, and a move to Derby County in the Championship was arranged.
The 21-year-old moved to Pride Park in exchange for £7.4m, with the deal potentially reaching around £10m with add-ons.
His transfer to Derby came after a successful loan to Charlton, as he decided to stay in the country instead of moving elsewhere abroad.
His decision to do so was down to a strong affinity for England, and in particular London (even if he did swap the capital for the Midlands in the summer), as he revealed to Przeglad Sportowy.
He said: “I love [London]. I have acclimatised to it, that’s where I feel best. I don’t even mind traffic jams. If I’m to drive at two kilometres an hour, I don’t complain. In that time, I’ll call my friends and parents, listen to music. I don’t even notice the slow moving cars. My ambition is to play in the Premier League, which is, in my opinion, the strongest league in the world.
“If I have to spend my entire career in it, why not? Sure, everyone has dreams to play i one of the best clubs in Spain, like Real or Barcelona, but I like it very much here, or maybe it’s just I have no comparison to other countries.
“Italy doesn’t convince me. I’d prefer the Spaniards, but it’s best a club from London. A strong one, playing in the Champions League. That where I see myself most throughout my career, but I’ll take it easy. I still have a lot of time. I think my career is only starting, and the best is ahead of me, because I’ve already lived through the worst”.
Arriving at Derby on August 2nd, the Poland U21 international didn’t play in the first two games of the season, but soon started featuring regularly, playing the full 90 minutes in the last three league games, even being left out of the 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup to keep him fresh for the next Championship fixture.
What happens in the future is up to him, but it’s clear the player could be eyeing a return to Arsenal in the future, judging by the description of his ideal career scenario.
Either that, or a move to Chelsea or North London rivals Tottenham…
