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West Brom confirmed the signing of Krystian Bielik late on Thursday evening, bringing to an end the short speculation about him leaving Birmingham City after he was left out of their Carabao Cup squad.
The Baggies brought the former Birmingham City captain into the squad after their decision to sell Torbjorn Heggem to Bologna for £10 million.
Bielik is seen as the perfect replacement for Heggem in terms of quality, but also for Kyle Bartley in terms of leadership, with the ex-West Brom defender opting to leave the club prior to their opening game of the Championship with Blackburn Rovers.
As the ink dried on the signing of his West Brom contract, Bielik spoke his first words as a Baggies player, opening up about why he made the shock move on the five-mile journey from St Andrew’s to the Hawthorns.
Bielik opens up on desire to play for a ‘massive club’
Speaking to the club media after signing his contract with West Brom, Bielik made it clear exactly why he joined them from Birmingham City.
The £1 million defender, as reported by the Express and Star, seemed delighted to be wearing the famous colours of West Brom.
He said: “Albion are a massive club. When I found out I could play for this team, I was really happy.
“The Championship is one of the hardest leagues; you have to be ready for everything that’s coming. You have to be prepared, you have to be fit, and you have to be strong physically and mentally.
“It’s nothing new for me; I’ve done it many times now, and I honestly can’t wait. I hope we can be very successful this season.”
West Brom are ecstatic about the signing of the Polish international
Bielik has proven across the last seven years that he is one of the top defensive talents in the EFL, playing for a number of clubs after departing Arsenal despite Arsène Wenger being a fan of the Polish international.
He has earned 11 senior caps for Poland throughout his career and may be hoping this move can help him achieve more and even feature for them at the World Cup at the end of the current season.
Speaking with the club website, Sporting Director Andrew Nestor was pleased to have got the deal done so swiftly after losing Heggem.
He said: “Krystian is a seasoned and proven player and, at 27, is in his prime years for a defender. He knows English football well, is experienced and has proven himself as a leader.
“Krystian’s arrival adds to the quality we have already invested in this summer to transform our centre-back options. We feel George Campbell has huge potential to develop at 24 – as does Caleb Taylor at just 22 – and we have already benefited from the technical and leadership qualities of Nat Phillips.
“There will be strong competition for places in our starting XI – and we believe that will bring out the very best in the players vying to start.”