Bielik - Wenger Is A Legend

On the cusp of achieving what must be a short-lived boyhood dream at the tender age of 17 in signing for Arsenal Polish youngster Krystian Bielik, whose surname translates to Bald Eagle, revealed to Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza the reasons for choosing Arsenal over other suitors and surprise, surprise it was Arsène Wenger.

The much maligned manager has been crucial in tempting a host of elite youngsters to join Arsenal over the years such as Fabregas, Ramsey, Walcott, Chamberlain, Chambers and Bellerin as well as established top quality players like Alexis, Cazorla, Welbeck, Debuchy, Özil and Giroud. The lure of working with the great man is as strong as ever despite Arsenal's infrequent success of the past decade with each of these players citing the opportunity to work with Arsène as a key motivator in rejecting other offers.

The Gazeta Wyborcza interview was translated on Reddit and we've highlighted some interesting comments. Bielik spoke about the interest from Hamburg and how their manager saw him in a different role than the defensive midfield position the British media have been reporting he plays best in - "From the coach Josef Zinnbauer I heard a lot of nice things. He told me that I fit into his concept that he saw me as an attacking midfielder for the so-called number 8 position."

The interview reveals that Hamburg attempted to sell Bielik on easy and fast transport links back to his native Poland and a marginally better financial offer than Arsenal. It was then that he discussed his reasons for choosing Arsenal.

"First of all, because of the person of manager Arsene Wenger. He is a legend, the boss as they call him at Arsenal."

Young Bielik seems to have a mature head on his shoulder and demonstrated this when he said "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 HSV."

"I'm going to London to fulfill 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." Adding he would be a 'fool' to not be a bit afraid of the move and elaborated when asked why saying "Nothing big. 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"

Asked about his travel plans he offered a detailed schedule of how his official signing for Arsenal will transpire, including confirmation that his medical will be today - "[I am travelling] With Paul Hardej who works with my manager Cezary Kucharski and Tom Pasieczny who is an Arsenal scout. The initial plan is that on Friday I have to pass the medical. Saturday should be quiet. My parents arrive on Sunday and on Monday I sign the contract."

Once the move is official he confirmed he will live in a hotel for a short period before lodging with an English family, as many academy products do, until (he infers with a reference to age and legal status) he turns 18. During his time with one of the Arsenal families he plans to master English as he feels his understanding of the language is good but needs to gain some fluency in speech. Who knows, in 6 months time we might have another Wojciech Cockney on our hands.

Overall he seems to have conducted himself well and came across as an eloquent and studious person which when paired with his evident playing talent and injuries to first-team players may see him quickly thrust into action. Time will tell.

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