Cardiff City now face 'biggest problem' with Krystian Bielik after West Brom transfer | OneFootball

The sale of Krystian Bielik to Cardiff City from West Bromwich Albion has been praised from an Albion perspective.

West Bromwich Albion may well have to do some business to replace Krystian Bielik after he completed a move to Cardiff City – but it has been described as ‘probably the right decision’.

Krystian Bielik signed for West Brom in the summer of 2025 from fellow midlanders Birmingham City as a part of Ryan Mason’s one and only summer transfer window.

Injuries majorly affected his impact at The Hawthorns, managing to make just 18 appearances in the Championship for The Baggies before he completed a move to Cardiff City this week for a fee believed to be in the region of £2.5 million.

Bielik came through the academy at Legia Warsaw before joining Arsenal on loan in 2015. After moving to The Gunners, he spent time on loan at Birmingham, Walsall and Charlton Athletic; beginning to really develop with the latter.

His stint at Charlton earned him a permanent move to Derby County in the summer of 2019 before leaving The Rams back on loan for Birmingham in 2022, with that deal eventually made a permanent one a year later.

His career has been plagued by injuries throughout, and it is for that reason that our FLW Fan Pundit believes it was a good decision to move him on.

Krystian Bielik right to be moved on by West Brom

The Polish international defender, who also often played in defensive midfield earlier on in his career, has moved to a Cardiff side that are attempting to play a fluid, passing style in the second-tier, which does appear suited to Bielik’s qualities.

His departure has left Albion with Chris Mepham, Nat Phillips and George Campbell as their only first-team centre-back options, but it is a move that FLW’s West Brom Fan Pundit Callum Burgess is in agreement with.

Callum says: “On his day, Bielik can be a good centre-back, but the issue has always been his fitness – it is why he missed the large majority of Albion’s games last season and throughout the last few years of his career.

“If he stays fit, he can be a good signing for Cardiff, but his biggest problem is that is a big ‘if’.

“He has never really been able to stay consistently fit for the majority of his career recently.

“I think it was probably the right decision for Albion to sell and hopefully get a new centre-back in by the deadline.”

West Brom may be keen on now replacing Krystian Bielik

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To have accrued what must be seen as quite a substantial fee for the 28-year-old is a positive for West Brom, but there will not have to be an idea that they bring in another defender before the close of the window.

The Baggies have done some intriguing business throughout this window with Barney Stewart, Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Matt Ingram, Conor Townsend, Nolan Galves, Felix Horn Myhre and Rabby Nzingoula strengthening their squad.

However, it remains quite a small squad and one that is expected to have additions made to it in the final few days of the summer window, especially now at centre-back as well as out-wide. Bielik was the second major sale of the summer after Alex Mowatt moved to Derby County earlier this month, too.

James Morrison’s side made a strong start to the season with victories against Norwich City and then Burnley, suggesting that Albion may well be challenging for the top six and the play-off places this season after finishing last year very strongly.

Morrison is in the early stages of his managerial career, but it has been a promising start to his time in the dugout at The Hawthorns and there must be a feeling that the next few days are huge as to whether he and Albion will be able to sustain their form over the course of the campaign.