Transfer Centre

Birmingham City want Krystian Bielik back next season

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 08 April 2017

Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola reveals that he is keen to take Arsenal defender Krystian Bielik on loan again next season.

Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola has admitted that he is keen to take defender Krystian Bielik back on loan from Arsenal next season.

The 19-year-old moved to St Andrew's at the end of the January transfer window and initially found game time hard to come by, making just two appearances in his first month with the side.

The Poland youth international has started the last four games in a row, however, playing on the right of a back three, and Zola is now considering making him a key part of his plans next season.

"It's under consideration, obviously he is impressing," he told the Birmingham Mail. "He is a player that every time I have played him he is doing quite well and he is getting better and better. We will try.

"It is not only in our hands because obviously I know Arsenal value him very, very much and it will depend if they are interested in him having another year in Birmingham.

"I know he likes it here and would like to stay."

Bielik moved to London in 2015 from Legia Warsaw for a fee of £2.7m but has yet to make a Premier League appearance for the Gunners.