Birmingham City midfielder Krystian Bielik has admitted that getting back into contention for a place in the Poland squad for the 2022/23 campaign was a key reason behind his decision to re-join the club.

Bielik sealed a temporary move to St Andrew's from Derby County in the summer transfer window.

With Derby suffering relegation to League One, the midfielder may have found it difficult to persuade Poland manager Czesław Michniewicz to select him if he opted to play his football at this level.

Since securing a return to Birmingham, the midfielder has made three appearances for the club in the Championship.

Not included as part of Poland's team for their Nations League games with the Netherlands and Wales, Bielik will be determined to force his way into Michniewicz's plans by delivering the goods on a consistent basis for the Blues.

Birmingham will make their return to action on October 1st.

Set to face a Sheffield United side who have won seven of their opening 10 league games, the Blues will need to be at their best in this fixture in order to secure a positive result.

Speaking to Birmingham Live about his decision to link up with the Blues again, Bielik said: "The main thing is for my personal career and progress because I lost so much time, I am 24, I want to play at a higher level than League One.

"I never hid it, I was always open, talking about this.

"Second the most important thing is the national coach [Michniewicz], he said it loudly as well, he wants me to play on a higher level than League One.

"He said League One is not good enough for him to call me up for the World Cup."

 

 

The Verdict

Whereas it is fair to say that the overall quality in League One has improved over the years, it would have been somewhat of a shock if Bielik earned a call up to the Poland squad for the World Cup whilst playing in this division.

Taking this into consideration, the midfielder's move to Birmingham is understandable as they currently participate in one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

Bielik's availability has coincided with the Blues' three-game unbeaten run in the second-tier.

Currently averaging a relatively impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.85 at this level, the midfielder will be confident in his ability to help Birmingham climb the league standings between now and the start of the World Cup.