Breaking: West Brom see off Portsmouth to sign £1m Birmingham City star 'in next 24 hours'
West Brom have beaten Portsmouth to the signing of a Birmingham City defender.
West Bromwich Albion are reportedly closing in on the signing of Birmingham City defender Krystian Bielik, with a deal expected to be completed before the weekend.
The Baggies have been on the search for a replacement for Torbjorn Heggem - expected to leave for Bologna in a mega £10 million deal - and Bielik has been pursued. The Poland international, Blues’ current captain, boasts plenty of Championship experience and remains in his prime years.
Ryan Mason has already added centre-halves Nat Phillips and George Campbell to his defensive ranks this summer but another new face was needed as Kyle Bartley recently announced his retirement and Heggem isn’t expected to be around for much longer.
West Brom close in on shock Birmingham City deal
It’s come rather out of nowhere, but West Brom are set to secure Bielik’s services imminently to complete their defensive puzzle. Football League World reports Albion have reached a full agreement to sign Bielik for a fee just in excess of £1 million, seeing off three other clubs in the process.
Portsmouth were the other Championship club interested in Bielik but they missed out as the 27-year-old wanted to remain in the West Midlands. The Hawthorns was seen as an ideal destination as Bielik won’t need to move from where he has become settled, and he’s also expected to gain a regular starting spot.
Formerly of Arsenal having graduated from the Gunners’ youth academy, Bielik will be fondly remembered by Birmingham supporters. The defender racked up 125 appearances for Blues across all competitions and stayed with the club through thick and thin, even when relegated down to League One.
As Chris Davies made a succession of huge signings to help Birmingham leave the third tier in the dust, Bielik lost his starting spot and had to be patient for minutes. Nonetheless, the Pole remained professional throughout and was a superb leader in the dressing room. He also had the responsibility of lifting the League One trophy.
How will Bielik fit in at West Brom?
Albion are eager to get the Bielik deal over the line as quickly as possible so they can integrate him into the first-team squad ahead of this weekend’s trip to Wrexham in the Championship. Albeit unlikely to start in that fixture, Bielik could make a mark off the bench to introduce himself to the travelling West Brom faithful.
Predominantly a defensive midfielder during his Derby County days but dropped deeper to centre-back for Birmingham, Bielik is a versatile option who Mason can make great use of. There have been doubts over Albion’s depth at right-back - especially recently with Darnell Furlong’s suspension - but Bielik succeeded in that role for Blues on five occasions.
Mason will have to decide what he believes is his best centre-back pairing, and that may take some time, but Bielik will definitely be in with a shot of starting alongside Phillips, you would have thought. Of course, Campbell will be hoping to impress and stake his claim to make that spot his own, but Bielik already has a wealth of experience at this level.