Derby County must still have regrets over £8m Arsenal transfer that never paid off | OneFootball

The Poland international spent four years contracted to the Rams, but his time at Pride Park was blighted by injuries.

Derby County supporters entered the 2019/20 campaign cautiously with a new-look management team and a squad that had to undergo a facelift following the return of Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount to their parent clubs after an extraordinary year on loan.

Phillip Cocu was announced as the Rams' new manager in July 2019 after Frank Lampard made his way to Chelsea, and he had to quickly get to grips with his team in Florida as the club headed to the USA for a pre-season training camp.

On their return to the East Midlands, more transfer plans were put in place, with Krystian Bielik the first permanent signing of the Dutchman's reign, arriving at Pride Park for a colossal £8m from Premier League giants Arsenal.

The fee had add-ons that could have seen it rise to £10m, with the Poland international signing a five-year contract. However, what followed was three years that neither Derby nor the then 21-year-old could have imagined.

The first signs from Krystian Bielik were bright but hope ended quickly

Bielik made his league debut for the Rams against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium a couple of weeks after putting pen to paper on his contract, coming on for the second half of the 2-2 draw.

He played in a mix of positions during his first few months in black-and-white, alternating between holding midfield and centre-back, before eventually settling in the middle of the park alongside fellow summer arrival, Graeme Shinnie.

The two formed a good partnership and after a dismal start to the season, there were hopes that with the arrival of Wayne Rooney, Derby were going to finally reach their potential and push up the table towards the top half.

However, a red card against Charlton Athletic in the final game of 2019 proved to be Bielik's last in the senior team for nearly a year as he suffered an ACL injury while keeping his fitness up in an under-23 game at the start of January.

It was a huge blow for the Rams as the arrival of their new number 32, Rooney, looked as though it was going to inspire the club into a new run of form and they were forced to see the season out without their big-money signing.

Krystian Bielik's return could not have gone worse and Derby County may still have regrets over the fee

After 10 months out of action, Bielik finally returned to the first team in November 2020 while games were being played behind closed doors.

Derby were in the relegation zone when their Polish superstar played for the first time since coming back from his injury, and he made 13 appearances in the Championship in the 2020/21 campaign, helping his side push themselves closer to safety.

However, just as both his and the Rams' situation started to look brighter, he suffered a second injury to the same knee in January 2021, and he was left in the treatment room for a full year.

He returned 365 days later, against Birmingham City, scoring an overhead kick in the final minute of the game to rescue a point as Derby came from 2-0 down on a day that saw nearly 10,000 supporters march from the city centre to Pride Park to highlight the position the club were in as administration wreaked havoc.

Despite a monumental effort, the team were relegated to League One after a 21-point deduction and Bielik was looking for a way out as he had hopes to play in the World Cup later in 2022.

He joined Birmingham on loan for the next season before the deal was made permanent for less than £1m, leaving the Rams at least £7m out of pocket.

Derby will still have regrets over the decision to pay out such a huge fee for a player who managed to play just 49 times over the course of three years and left the club as soon as they dropped into the third tier.