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Arsenal boss confirms defender could leave in January

By mac14 on October 20, 2016

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed he may decide to send young defender Krystian Bielik out on loan in January in order to get some first team football under his belt.

Bielik joined Arsenal from Legia Warsaw in 2015 having forged a reputation as one of the most exciting young players in Polish football.

The 18-year-old made his senior debut as a second half substitute during our League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday later that year but has found first team football hard to come by.

The Poland under-18 international joined the club as a defensive midfielder but he’s been playing in central defence for the under-21 side and is listed as a defender on Arsenal.com.

The teenager has really grown in to the role over the past 12 months and is now regularly training with the first team squad and Wenger has said he feels Bielik has all the qualities needed to be a ‘great player’.

However, he’s not ready to push for a place in the first team squad just yet so the boss is contemplating sending him out on loan this winter to aid his development.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

on Krystian Bielik…
The plan with him is to continue his development. He works with us a lot, with the first team. He has developed very well and for me he has all the attributes to be a great player. Now, he is not ready experience wise to play in our team, so hopefully I will consider the situation at the end of December to see if he can go out somewhere or whether we’ll keep him here until the end of the season.

I think Bielik would certainly benefit from time on loan during the second half of the season and I’d probably send him to the Championship to ensure he has a good chance of getting regular games.