Mikel Arteta says he’s sad to see Hector Bellerin leave the club but he admits his compatriot and former teammate needed a new challenge.
After a summer in which he was linked with PSG, Barcelona and Inter Milan, the right-back had to wait until transfer deadline day to secure a move to Real Betis; the club his father supports.
While the deal is only temporary, it’s widely assumed that the 26-year-old will leave the Emirates on a permanent basis next summer when he has one year left on his contract.
Reflecting on the decision to let Hector go, Arteta said: “It’s been a long time [at Arsenal], he’s been a really important part of everything that happened at the club in the last 10 years.
“He’s an exceptional player and an incredible person. He’ll be missed. To find someone like Hector is not easy. He’s been raised here with us and is loved by everybody at the football club.
“I have to say goodbye with sadness but at the same time I had to understand his position. He needed a new challenge, he’s been needing a new challenge for a while, so after discussing for a long time, we decided to let him go. We decided it was the right thing for him.”
Hector was recruited from Barcelona as a 16-year-old by Arsene Wenger and went on to make 239 appearances.
Completely untrue fact :
If a player leaves any other football club, they call it a new adventure.
But if you leave Arsenal, it’s called a new challenge.
Bellerin did an interview when he was 22 about how he was seriously planning for life after football, saying young players never think about it. While he is right and some get screwed by injury, a top player would be planning his goals for his career, not his retirement.
Twat comment of the day well done.
I’ve done my job then.
Tbf, it was a high-quality twat comment.
I for one had to do a ‘…wait what?’ before having to re-read.
I didn’t down vote though, I thought the entertaining, twat-ish comment seems strong in this one.
Btw: “twat” or “twot”?
Apparently twot isn’t an Americanism, it’s old English.
The hero we need but not the one we deserve.
Downvotes!
F*cking hell, I’m only trying to get an etymology thread going – are linguistics even off-topic now?
Not even irony works – I’ll quit while I’m behind.
Tough Crowd – would it help if I said Arteta should get a 10 year deal?
Longer?
There might be some colorblind people here, I fear. I learnt something at least, so thank you.
Thank you.
Apparently the same with “creek”, “fall”, “trash”, faucet”
and the one that used to annoy the p*ss out of me “gotten”.
Also: using ‘twot’ might be helpful during a heated argument. You could use it to both insult someone and then de-escalate by discussing it’s origins (they’ll be bound to correct you, probably in a sarcastic tone – try and ignore that and persist with “no, I thought that too, but apparently…”).
T’s and Cs: This post denotes neither support for, or denigration of, the owners.
Here in Canada they call a queue a lineup. I hope that suitabley annoys you 🙂
Also blogs, you missed a trick by not headlining his exit with Bellerout.
“Lineup” – Probably old English as well.
TBH I’m going to just claim every word that I like as old English.
schadenfreude
Karaoke
Wok
Google
All in Chaucer, some in Beowulf.
Some literary critics in the house.
I’m appreciating the rambling. You’re working the vibe with cheek, warmth, and flair. What more can one ask for? A rhetorical question, though I know an answer is coming. Back to Bellerin: love the guy, vegans represent! Always fully committed when on the field. Injuries destroyed his strengths. The hate he received from some “fans” for his honesty and integrity was pathetic. Olde English thuggery thinkng? Bye bye.
Yeah possibly – but in terms of Arsenal culture (ie 80s thuggery and how it might have been inherited down the years) we felt like a different place to all of that. We always seemed to have space for the odd and different in a way that other clubs didn’t. Can’t help thinking that Nick Hornby and Fever Pitch somehow represent that otherness, a little bit speccy and whimsical. Yes, we had a ‘firm’ and a lot of people who could look after themselves but it was never in the same “league”/level of moronic bitterness as, say Chelsea, West Ham… Read more »
Really liked your analysis.
Thank you. I really loved the culture of our club – our fanzines were pioneers of the type, self deprecating, thoughtful, generous, funny. Racism wasn’t a notable issue (although the casual and not so casual anti-Semitism was v bad and shameful). I’d say Amy Lawrence is a clear ‘product’ of that era and culture. Today? Fairly, or unfairly I think judged by our social media presence we’ve become a bit of a running joke, entitled, whining, disconnected. Where we once had The Gooner (in print), we now have AFTV. Not the whole picture but representative enough. Hector’s been a great… Read more »
A good evaluation of things and always nice to hear a blast from the past from before my time.
Myopic fans aside, the current demeanour of long-time players like Hector and Ainsley suggests (to me) that all is not well in the backroom.
Yeah it would seem so. I try and draw on actual evidence but the anecdotal suggests that Arteta needs to learn how to temper ‘non negotiables’ with humanity.
Klopp is amazing it at this – times he looks ready to kill someone (and I mean in a really bad and messy way) and then he looks ready to rub your back and read a bedtime story.
At least it took the heat off my grossly unpopular comment….
Struggling to wrap my head around the ridiculousness of this one
Put it this way. If you were starting running a business and looking to hire, would you pick they guy who tells you he has a lot of hobbies and is planning his retirement, or the guy who says he is committed to being the best in the biz?
It all depends on perspective:
Do you pick the well-rounded person who exhibits good long-term planning and an eagerness to take ownership of their life, or a generically competitive person who thinks the pokemon theme song is a profound philosophical statement?
Football isn’t long term. Bellerin’s philosophy is not aligned with winning, but he is looking out for himself. That’s fine but ambitious clubs move on from people like that.
I feel like he’s tuned in with how the rest of society (or at least people around his age) have been starting to act in recent times, which is to be more open about things and happy to share what might have been kept hidden/not discussed in the open/too self-conscious to divulge previously. Surely not every professional football player has left it until their retirement year to plan what they’ll do afterwards? I think he does everyone a service by being open with his journey (thinking of his ACL injury recovery videos) and it reminds me a bit of schoolyard… Read more »
i would be happy with someone who stuffed his 401K
I like your style. Distract with the first post up above, let it kick off and then expand your thinking further down while the ruckus* carries on up stairs. I understand your point but I think that to reach the standards he’s reached, including coming back from a serious injury shows quite a bit of grit and focus. Hector seems unusually thoughtful compared to what we usually hear from footballers through interviews (it might be different behind the scenes). I think he probably meant “I’ll be finished this career when I’m still young, so I’d like to think ahead now.”… Read more »
Well when you collect all his interviews together, you begin to see a picture. Especially after he said Alexis wants to win too much.
I think that’s been misquoted, or misconstrued to be completely accurate.
Seeing the context of the original interview (and making a judgement linked to Alexis’ body language on the pitch and his reported inability to make connections with others)
I imagine It’s a bit like having that mate who wants to succeed but is a little bit too intense sometimes.
Someone who doesn’t really know when to dial it up and when to dial it down.
That seemed to be Hector’s meaning.
The same criticism is made of Lewis Hamilton with his outside interests and plans for retirement.
This comment is… poorly thought out is the best I can come up with. It is entirely possible to have the drive to succeed in professional sports and aim for trophies, cups, championships, etc. while also giving thought to what you might do after your relatively short career is up. You see stories all the time about pro athletes who didn’t plan, didn’t save money and are now destitute. Good on Hector for trying to avoid that. And hopefully you are not an investment planner.
Even though Bellerin was not the player pre-injury, he is still miles better then chambers, AMN and that Cedric.
We don’t know how good ‘takayasu arteritis’ –probably need a season to acclimatise
Thus a balls up getting rid of your only decent recognised right back.
Hector can probably see the club going stale from inside out and thus wanted to jump ship even to a third rate la liga side,
says it all for me
arteta&edu out
I’ve got to the point where I’m just waiting for Arteta to be sacked so we can move on.
I hope the rumours about Conti are true
Are you one of those “fans” that hope we lose to reinforce your negative opinion? This will be the first period where he’s had the majority of the team being his own selections. Let’s back him and see how he gets on with them before bringing out the pitchforks.
I’m confident we’ll win on Saturday, but I imagine anything less than 5-0 will be viewed as not good enough by some and still baying for blood come full time.
It’s because of muppets like you that we’re in this mess. It’s always “jam tomorrow” with this club. Arteta is not good enough and should go.
Simple
Wait. Is Okester Stan’s username?
Just clarifying.
I wondered exactly how many muppets have decision making rights at the club.
Because if they’re letting muppets make important decisions, I’d like to get that gig as well.
When Conte won the league with Chelsea in 16/17, most of the players in their squad weren’t signed by him. When Moaninho took 14th placed Spuds to finish 6th in 19/20, most of their squad weren’t signed by him. When David Moyes finished 6th with West Ham last season, most of their squad weren’t signed by him.
How does one back a manager who doesn’t even back his own players half the time. I’d prefer a coach who can ride on his own and doesn’t require a training wheel of excuses
Bill Conti?
I’m sure he could compose some rousing, cinematic music but I’m not sure his football management is up to much.
Willing to stand corrected.
Think he means Nina Conti, the ventriloquist
I didn’t tell Xhaka to jump in! It was that fecking monkey again.
Post match would be more interesting.
I’m confused.
Downvotes for:
Your feedback is important to me.
The team needs a kick up the arse, not a hand up the arse
Massively underrated comment
Yeah, bloody good line.
I feel somewhat similarly to you. All these other matches under him are just “filler” to me until the next guy comes. We’re not going to learn anything new from Arteta that we haven’t seen already.
A manager who has broken more negative records than his last three predecessors combined is generally not going to become a trailblazer all of sudden. Especially after such a dreadful start to the season.
I have more faith in Kevin Hart managing a slam-dunk in an NBA game than Arteta reinventing this team to play consistent attacking football.
2018:
“Literally anyone would be better than Wenger! No one could do worse!”
2019:
“Literally anyone would be better than Emery! No one could do worse!”
2021:
“Literally anyone would be better than Arteta! No one could do worse!“
What kind of strawman point is this. Are you just assuming everyone who wishes for Mikel to leave must have felt the same way about our last two managers. There’s nothing “honourable” in giving an underperforming and toxic manager considerably more time to turn things around than his predecessors. For starters, I wanted Wenger to leave after the FA-Cup final in 16/17 which was the original expiration of his contract. The club got cold feet again and wanted him to stay. Thus kicking the can down the road. I was perfectly fine with him seeing out his final contract but… Read more »
What if? (just putting it out there) What if, these filler games are wins?
Actual genuine question – what if he stays and gets a 4th placed finish?
For the record, I think that’s unlikely but what if?
I’m confused about whether the calls for the resignation are a “based on existing evidence” (if so, fair enough).
Or if some people just don’t like him.
Be interesting to know.
Those wins would still be “filler” as far as I’m concerned. We’ve already seen that a run of wins against easier opposition (fodder) does nothing to give the team momentum in the league under Arteta. Case in point, the Europa League group stages and 5 game win streak in the EPL at the end of last season. The former didn’t help us during that barren run in winter last season and the latter hasn’t helped us start this season strongly. We are fourth place in the top 10 worst league starts in Premier League history by Matchday 3. Of those… Read more »
That’s fair, thanks. I’m of the camp that (taken on their own), the first three games were an unfair metric – given the opposition and our absences. I also tend to be ‘let’s just wait in case’ type of person (you should see the state of my cars by the time I decide to get another one). If I’m honest I’ve tended to ignore “recent” past performance because the latter stage league results were good and the route to the FA Cup was well managed. I’d love for an ex-captain to manage the team to success. None of that is… Read more »
*13th.
13th?
Saw this before the other post was approved.
Makes sense now.
Cheers
Downvote for me feeling confused.
Touched by the concern. Thank you.
Let’s hope that Conte is very well paid, so our habit of employing Chelski’s castoffs on massive wages can continue.
It’s been such a successful strategy so far…. Ah…. Hang on….
And I suppose hiring a rookie 38-year-old manager for a club in crisis was a smart move?
Conte is a proven winner… unlike Arteta.
Arteta is a proven winner of an FA Cup and Community Shield but I suppose you’ve forgotten that/they don’t count.
And I suppose Conte winning the leagues in two different countries recently doesn’t count?
I think it was just a point of clarification. Arteta is a proven winner.
May not be the man for the job but it’s on the record that he’s won things.
Re downvotes.
He definitely has – point of fact.
Of course they count. However he hasn’t done much since then.I’d say he’s pulled another di Matteo at Arsenal but even he was more qualified than Arteta when he was at Chelsea. Are you not tired of blaming all the squad players, injuries and formations for what is very clearly a systemic issue? We’ve gone from blaming 3-4-3 for our barren run last season to blaming Aubameyang for our poor goal tally. Conte played a back 3 at Inter and his side scored 89 goals in Serie A last season. He may or may not be long-term but he has… Read more »
The Community Shield….?
🤣
Fair play to the FA Cup, but I’m sorry, the Community Shield is NOT a major trophy.
So do I, but his name is Conte.
😉
He will be missed
Such a exciting player when he was breaking through and at some point was sure was going to be Arsenal captain. Not to be. Hope he has a good few years of football elsewhere.
Hopefully there’s an Arseblog article headlined “Arteta needed a new challenge” by this end of this month too.
It’s pretty clear that, as Arteta is saying, Bellerin wanted to leave, not that the club was trying to get rid of him. Which is not good–from everything we know, he was one of the most respected players among his teammates, and he had great rapport with (most) supporters. I hope the idiots who complained about his hair or his clothes, or his right to make his views known–I hope they did not influence this decision.
I’ll miss Hector. On the day he could be quite brilliant, bringing stability to the team when it was needed. Off the pitch, he was an intelligent, thoughtful and interesting guy. Good luck to him and may his career prosper.
To be truthful, he was way below his previous better days. But we haven’t minted money with him at all. Meanwhile RBack remain a problem. Cedric is an older asset and injury prone, at best he was a Bellerin surrogate when available. Chambers I mentioned was improving and we should have sold him. He’s best at Rback his original position but he’s problem is he is too nice a lad. He needs a bit more edge in his game. Now we have some unknown japanese panic buy many prefer to fantasize is the next best thing since Miyaichi. Good luck.… Read more »
…and at very least he gets to play europa league.
And my god, the weather.
Apparently “Seville is the warmest city in Continental Europe. After the city of Córdoba.”
Too many injuries- some of them inflicted by being overplayed when he needed a rest- and some significant plateauing is really unfortunate.
It’s amazing to think about the decline in his transfer value
I really do feel we ran Bellerin into the ground and his body never recovered – there were times under Emery when we’d rotate the entire XI for Europa league games, but Hector would somehow still play the full 90 minutes week in week out for want of a better option, I’m excited to see how he does with a change of scenary
Are you near to Seville, or is that just an expat username, or just a username?
Love to get some lay-person updates.
Good luck Hector, I love you
It’s much nicer down this end.
I’m getting a consistent downvote on every post in this thread.
Are you in here again mum?
Lol
Too generous