Birmingham City will surely have to cash in on 11-cap international this summer

The final day of the season saw Birmingham City’s relegation to League One confirmed, despite their victory over Norwich City.

Birmingham knew going into the last day that they couldn’t control their destiny, and as a result, they were deservedly relegated following the victories of Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, and Blackburn Rovers.

The owners of Birmingham had high hopes for the team, but after winning just two of their last 14 games, they will have to begin the following season in the third division for the first time in 29 years.

Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik will undoubtedly be among the first names to depart St Andrew’s during the summer as the team gets used to life in League One.

Bielik has had two successful loan stints with Birmingham in the past. However, he already appears ready to walk on following their relegation, having signed a permanent contract with the team last summer.

The 26-year-old will undoubtedly want to test himself in the second division again because he has shown himself to be a quality performer at the Championship level.

With two years remaining on his contract, the former graduate of the Arsenal school might help Birmingham recover part of the money they paid Derby in June.

Bielik might consider relocating overseas. In any case, it is improbable that he will remain at Birmingham after this summer.

Injury-stricken Bielik represents a risk for clubs

When Bielik moved to Derby County for £10 million in 2019, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the move, but he had injuries all season long at Pride Park.

The midfielder had impressed while on loan at Charlton Athletic, and with the Rams having recently lost the play-off final under Frank Lampard’s guidance, the Championship Derby seemed like the perfect venue for Bielik to advance.

But Bielik was never able to reach his full potential due to two severe knee injuries that occurred nearly a year apart. He only made 49 appearances before moving to Birmingham, first on loan and then permanently last summer.

Despite his talent, Bielik’s injury issues have kept him in Birmingham, and any team looking to acquire him runs the danger of losing him.

Bielik will struggle to break into Poland’s squad if he’s playing League One football

Since 2019, Bielik has come and gone from the Poland squad while amassing 11 caps.

He contributed to each of their four World Cup matches in Qatar, and he will be looking to get into the European Championship squad this summer.

Despite not making the Poland squad for the Euros, Bielik, who is 26 years old, is on the verge of reaching his prime. Over the next few years, he hopes to cement his place on the squad permanently.

However, Bielik will find it difficult to do so if he continues to play League One football; a transfer to the Championship or possibly overseas would improve his prospects of receiving international recognition.

As much as Birmingham would like to hang onto Bielik, who has established himself as a vital member of their team this year, their relegation implies that he is unlikely to stay, thus the Blues should take advantage of the midfielder while he still has some remaining contract time.

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