Walsall have signed Krystian Bielik on loan until the end of the season.

Walsall boss, Jon Whitney, seemed delighted to land the 20-year-old of whom big things are expected.

“Krystian is a very technical, ball-playing centre-half and he’s had a good loan spell with Birmingham last season, so he’s got a Midlands connection,” Whitney said.

“He was really good for them but he’s had a shoulder injury in the last few months.

“I’ve been chasing him for about two or three weeks now, and we’ve persuaded him to come here ahead of other League One clubs and some abroad, too.

“We’d like to thank Arsenal and Arsene Wenger for allowing him to come to us.”

Bielik has fallen down  the pecking order at the club. Calum Chambers and Rob Holding are only 22 and are filling first-team spots in the squad. Then there’s the new signing, Konstantinos Mavropanos, who the coaching staff seem to rate highly.

With Arsenal out of the FA Cup as well, Bielik’s route into the first team is cluttered. A loan is the most sensible option for him. He impressed on at Birmingham last season, and was due to go out on loan again earlier this campaign. Unfortunately, an injury prevented any move from happening.

The 20-year-old joined Arsenal from Legia in January 2015.

He has just two first-team appearances to his name, which both came from the bench in the League Cup.