Bielik to be given Arsenal chance!
There’s a well known rumour doing the rounds at the moment that Arsene Wenger is toying with the idea of signing another centre back following on from Per Mertesacker’s long term injury announcement. The Gunners have reportedly shown an interest in Napoli’s Koulibaly and Valencia’s Mustafi, but is Wenger ready to name one of our very own as the BFG’s replacement.
Sky Sports are reporting that Wenger will look to give young star Krystian Bielik a chance at centre back this season, as cover in defence following Mertesacker’s injury.
Wenger told the press following on from the Gunners 2-1 win over the MLS ALL STARS, that Bielik would have a greater role this season, that could see him feature on occasion for the first team. Wenger said: “Bielek has all the qualities and ingredients to be a top level centre-back.The one thing he is missing is the experience in this position because he came to us as a central midfielder, but I converted him into a centre-back because I felt he can play the type of football we want to play as a centre-back.”
Bielik did join the Gunners back in 2015 as a defensive midfielder in a £2 million deal, however perhaps his role could now be set in defence. The Polish youngster made great strides in the Arsenal youth team and has shown promise that will surely get him involved with first team duties. However given Arsenal’s heavy competition in midfield, it seems like the 18 year old’s future may lie at centre back.
Wenger continued: “Many times this is a position for experienced players because you pay for every mistake with a goal in this position, in the Premier League.
“What I have try to do with him this season is to work on his positional play and improve him, and give him some games. If in December, he is not ready, we will try and get him to play somewhere.”
I have no issue in Wenger looking to give youngsters like Bielik a chance in the first team on occasion, if they can prove their worth to be in the squad. However to chance it with the inexperienced Bielik as our only back up central defender whilst we wait for Mertesacker, Gabriel and Koscielny all to return, doesn’t seem to be in the best of interests for most of us. If Arsenal truly want to challenge on all fronts this season, they need to sign a top quality experienced centre back that isn’t just here to fill the gap whilst Mertesacker is injured, but a player who can replace the BFG on a long term basis. Bielik may turn out to be such a player in the future, but for now, should Wenger really be looking at the cheap option rather than investing in the market?
By AH
No one expected Bellerin to have a big impact, when he was thrown into the deep end, the same could be said about Coquelin, So, why not wait and see if Bielik can do the same, he seemed okay in that position against the MLS superstars,well, at least wenger was happy with his performance in that game.
Let’s be honest here, most fans didn’t want Mertesacker to be a first team starter, anyway! ?
A bench warmer at best ?
Because Wenger said the exact same thing when talking about Chambers and Bielik was bought as a DM not a CB
Bielik looks mostly solid BUT……
HE is a DM and thus must yet LEARN CB position. We have not seen him play CB for more than a few minutes in a friendly. We have NO real proof he can do the job. Just because Bellerin emerged as a star does not mean the next fella will do it.
He was the reason AFC gave up the goal to MLS. In earlier postings I had blamed Gibbs for the horrible pass across the middle that led to the MLS goal. I looked at the replay and it was in fact Bielik. My apologies to Gibbs and Gibbs fans.
NONE of us know what Bielik can do but the following is our current reality:
1. Chambers and Gabriel have shown the tendency to make big mistakes.
2. Mert is injured and is aging anyway. We may NEVER see him play for AFC again.
3. Bielik is very young and is not a CB – not yet anyway.
4. Kos cannot do it all by himself.
5. Holding looks like pure best option at this point. But this is also a question mark.
Within 2 months AFC may indeed be very solid at CB but we don’t know.
I “HOPE” Chambers and Gabriel can find a way to become more dependable or maybe Bielik will emerge as a solid CB and maybe Holding will secure the starting position. But the CB situation looks tenuous at this point for a team vowing to win the title.
Great News !!!!!!!!
Arsenal Mascot is seen at Emirate practicing as Goalkeeper, so he can be used as 3rd GK after Chec, Ospina, and Wenger is planning to sell Martinez before the August deadline.
Ball boys you are next, start shooting practice, there are lots of opening in Arsenal!!!
Holding and Bielik kept Drogba in check for much of his time on the pitch. And regardless of his age, Drogba is still one of the most lethal forwards out there. In the end, experience trumped youth and they conceded the goal. But both these young gunz proved they at least deserve a place in the 1st squad.
Lol… Drogba is to lethal striking what Mel Gibson is to religious tolerance!!!!!
Sky sports have reported Wenger and Bould went to watch PSG Vs Leicester ?
and rumours that PSG have offered 62m euros for greizman
And Costa back to A Madrid
62 million Euros for Griezmann is a bargain with present market prices!
This begs the question “what future does Chambers have?” we paid good money for him, we are in CD crisis and nobody is talking about him? Is he an other transfer failure? I thought he was quite promising. Brought in as a right back but moved to CD. Doesn’t get as many minutes as I would have expected for some one with his price tag.
PS: anyone notice mr Wenger is changing players positions again? Bielik was brought bought as a DM and then Wenger moved him to CD.
As for young players changing the positions before they even become 1st team players is understandable, it works most of the time, but the problem is when the same method is applied to an already established players, it hardly works.
There’s nothing new with Wenger changing player’s positions or playing them out of position.
But what concerns me is the sudden urgency to strengthen the defence, especially the CB position, when everyone and his dog knows that we need a proven goal scorer.
I think that there’s more to this than meets the eye, it’s not as if Mertesacker was going to be a first team starter this season, more like a fringe player, at the most.
I would not be surprised if Koscielny leaves during this transfer window, the news of his extension negotiations stalling has gone too quite, for my likings, which to me, would explain the sudden panic by Wenger in reinforcing this position, not only with signings but with Coquelin and Bielik also being converted to play there too…. watch this space.
Word of Warning to fans and Wenger
If Wenger doesn’t sign any more top players than I think we should all enjoy Ozil, Alexis and Bellerin’s playing this season because it may be their last season with us. If they leave fans won’t be happy to say the least.
And its not like they can easily be replaced
I think Ibrahimovich, Mktharyan and Pogba will propel United to the Top
But we can challenge with Lacazette, Mahrez or Draxler and a quality CB
Right now in terms of Striker/winger/cb position even Spurs are ahead of us
Striker SPURS Kane and Janssen
Winger: ARSENAL Alexis and Campb/iwobi/ox/welb
Centre Back Pair: SPURS: Vertonghen and Alderweirld (even though Koscielney is better than both)
Here we go again, Shoehorning (very young) squarepegs into round holes. I’m embarrassed for Arsenal