Arsenal: Hector Bellerin not the loss he used to be

Hector Bellerin is being linked with a big-money move to Juventus. Two years ago, it would have been decimating for Arsenal to sell him. But now, his loss is manageable.

Selling your best players is not a smart way to run a football team. Arsenal, unfortunately, have learnt that lesson the hard way: Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie. Need I say more. But if done astutely, and with the money being smartly reinvested, selling can be an intelligent and advancing ploy.

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Chelsea, for example, have always sold well, boasting a high turnover of players. But they regularly compete for titles and trophies, winning the Premier League twice in the last three years. Similarly, however, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have sold their better players and have failed to replace them, even though they received big bucks for their outgoing stars.

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Hector Bellerin, as a marauding, bombarding, vivacious full-back, bursting with life and energy, used to be one of those players. At just 20 years of age, he was playing regularly in the Arsenal first team, partnering with Nacho Monreal to make one of the most potent and lively full-back duos in the league. But the Spanish international has not developed as many expected him to. In fact, you could say that he has actually regressed.

Last season, in particular, was a poor one. In and out of the team thanks to a plethora of injuries, primarily focused around his ankle, Bellerin seemed to lack that blistering long speed, as well as the short-area quickness, the explosiveness of balance and agility, that he had in years prior. He made defensive errors, his attacking production declined severely, with one less assist, a worse pass completion rate, and less through balls, long balls and crosses made per game. And by the end of the year, once Arsene Wenger had switched to a 3-4-3, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, not Bellerin, who was the starting wing-back.

He is currently being linked with a big-money move to Juventus, either in January or the summer. Even a year ago, this would have been a sale that Arsenal would have struggled to manage. Finding a replacement for a player of Bellerin’s supposed quality would not have been easy. But now, his loss is far less damaging.

In fact, if a £40 million offer was made, which has been the reported figure in past surfacings of a rumoured departure, then I feel it would be silly for Arsenal not to accept it. With such a figure, they could even make an improvement at the position. This season provides the ideal example. Sead Kolasinac, signed for nothing, in the Premier League, has made more tackles, more interceptions, and more clearances, has scored one, and has added four assists. Bellerin, in contrast, has no goals and no assists.

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Bellerin’s loss is not what it used to be. He is not the player that he used to be. This does not mean that I want him to be sold. I don’t. But for the right price, with the right investment in a replacement, it could be a chance for Arsenal to sell well, something that they struggle to do.