Wednesday 21 January 2015 12:06, UK
Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal have agreed a £2m fee with Legia Warsaw for young midfielder Krystian Bielik.
Arsenal beat a number of clubs, including Bundesliga side Hamburg, to the signature of the 17-year-old who underwent a medical on Friday morning.
The Poland youth international has made just six first-team appearances for Legia this season.
Wenger said: "He's a defensive midfielder, he is 6ft 2ins, he has a good energy level and a good technical level. Is £2m a lot of money? It is less than that but yes, it is a lot of money for a player if he doesn't succeed. If he does succeed, it's cheap.
"Of course, it's a gamble. But on what we saw, it's a gamble worth taking."
Earlier this week, Warsaw manager Henning Berg told Sky Sports News HQ that Bielik is an exceptional prospect.
“He’s a physical player with good skills,” Berg said. “He has very good understanding of the game and match mentality. Krystian is quite far ahead of other players at his age.”
Wenger also confirmed the club were exploring the possibility of signing West Ham defender Winston Reid whose contract at Upton Park expires in the summer.
Asked if Reid was someone Arsenal was looking at, the Frenchman said: “Of course. We are out on the market and we work very hard every day. All of our scouts, all of our people are working very hard to find a defender.”
But Wenger has played down speculation linking Arsenal with a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
“At the moment we are looking more for the defensive department,” he said.
