Arsenal: Believing Hector Bellerin development difficult

Hector Bellerin’s agent, Albert Botines, has stated that his client is happy at Arsenal, wants to stay with the club, and has not received any contact from potential buyers. Unfortunately, though, it is difficult to believe him, such is the way of the football agent.

It is a strange thing, the transfer rumour mill. Rarely does something so trivial that produces such relentless tripe actually generate substantial and applicable developments.

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But every now and then, there is this quite unbelievable rumour that may well just come to fruition. I remember when I first heard, for instance, that Arsenal might sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. I scoffed. We all know how that turned out.

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That is why comments made in the context of the transfer window are so difficult to believe. We have seen things change so dramatically that what somebody says one hour could be out of date by the next. Ridiculous, I know, but that is the nature of the ever-changing, fast-moving football world that we all now live in.

It is in this context that Hector Bellerin’s agent, Albert Botines, had this to say regarding the growing reports that his client could leave Arsenal in the summer:

"“There’s no contact for Bellerin, no-one has sought me out. He’s happy, he’s recently renewed and he’s playing consistently. It’s true that every player always wants to grow, but right now it’s difficult [to see him leaving]. If Italian clubs were interested in some of my clients I would listen, because – just like Juventus – Napoli are not only a great team in Italy but also in Europe. Every summer there is interest from clubs but Arsenal have not made me aware that any offers have arrived.”"

Now, I do not know Botines in any capacity. I have never come across his name before — Bellerin is his most high profile client by some distance, of which you can see all of them here. But by virtue of him being a football agent tends me to hedge my bets a little when I hear any comments from him.

There are few people in any industry and untrustworthy and dishonest as agents. Contorting the truth at every turn. Manipulating those around them to engineer the best outcome for themselves and their client. Sculpting the ideal landscape in which they can weave their conniving ways into the fabric of each and every individual involved. Even the more optimistic of us would struggle to entrust their word to an agent.

And so I take these comments with a rather hefty grain of salt. It may very well be true that Bellerin wants to stay at Arsenal. In fact, I do, for now, believe that he does, at least for the moment. But that does not mean that I will be hanging my hat on every syllable that falls out of Botines’ mouth.

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This is an agent we are talking about and a transfer world that we are dealing in. Honesty is hard to find.