If the first player to sign for Arsenal in 2015, assuming that the young Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik passes his medical with the Gunners today, wants to make a good first impression on his new manager, then he could hardly have made a better start.
As reported by the Daily Star, the 17-year old has been speaking about making his dream move to the Premier League with Arsenal. And despite the various Arsenal transfer rumours this week suggesting that the Bundersliga club Hamburg were a serious rival for Bielik, the teenager has made it clear that there was not even a decision to make in his mind.
One of the main reasons for that is the starlet’s desire to work with the Prof, whose reputation still seems to be as strong as ever outside of England. Maybe the fact that Bielik has been hailed as the new Patrick Vieira, whose own career blossomed under Wenger at Arsenal, but the praise for his new boss will not do our new young Gunner any harm.
He might not be quite so popular in Hamburg though, as he was a bit scathing about the size of the club and his belief in the manager’s ambitions there. If you are a Hamburg fan, look away now.
Bielik said, “First of all, because of Arsene Wenger. He is a legend, ‘The Boss’ as they call him at Arsenal.
“In Hamburg, the team has a very young coach and their target for this season is to avoid the relegation from Bundesliga. This also had an impact.
“Yes, Hamburg coach [Josef] Zinnbauer assured me that in the new season he would be putting emphasis on the young players, but such plans could be risky. Things may go the wrong way.
“Certainly it will be harder for me to get through at Arsenal. But if I succeed in three or four years, I will be at the footballing top.
“After all, this is one of the best clubs in Europe and certainly better than Hamburg (ouch).
“I’m going to London to fulfil my dreams. I want to prove to the manager that he did not make a mistake by signing me.
“But it does not mean that my goal is playing in the first team right away. I’m not ready yet.
“Only a fool would not be. Of course I am [nervous].
“[It’s] nothing major. I believe in my skills, but I’m going to a new place, a big club and I do not really know what to expect.
“They will certainly be ups and downs. But I already experienced some of them despite my young age.”
The kid certainly seems to have his head screwed on and his feet on the ground and hopefully the boss can prove him right and turn him into a top class player. Welcome Krystian.