Arsenal: Hector Bellerin deserves ‘untouchable’ tag, for now

Unai Emery has reportedly included Hector Bellerin in one of five ‘untouchables’ in his Arsenal squad. The right-back deserves the tag, for now.

When a new manager is hired, he brings new tactics, new styles, strategies, new opinions and perspectives. The players that featured under the former regime are not so sure of their manager’s opinion of them anymore. They’re forced on their toes; they must now prove themselves worthy to someone who likely has no prior relationship with him. That is what is happening at Arsenal.

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It may even be more intensified at Arsenal than at other clubs, such was the power and longevity of Arsene Wenger’s tenure. So, Unai Emery’s arrival this summer as the new Head Coach will certainly ruffle some feathers as he formulates his plans and assesses the quality of the players that already at the club.

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That is why this report by John Cross in The Daily Mirror is so fascinating — take Cross’ reporting for what it’s worth. He gets a whole lot wrong, but he certainly has some good sources at the club and is always worth listening to at the very least. The report states that Emery has named five ‘untouchables’ that cannot be sold this summer as Sven Mislintat looks to rather drastically re-tool the squad.

One of those ‘untouchables’ is Hector Bellerin. The right-back is not coming off his best season — he was also poor the year before, though an ailing ankle injury had a substantial impact on his match-sharpness and is a fair excuse for his drop in performance — and has attracted much vitriol from the fan base, stemming from his criticism of Arsenal Fan TV in a wonderfully intriguing Q&A with the Oxford Union.

It is fair to say that his development has not quite progressed as many had hoped or even expected. It was widely thought that he would quickly become one of the very best full-backs in world football. Now, he’s not even in the Spain World Cup squad this summer.

But the development of a young player is not linear. Our rational, pattern-obsessed brains want to believe that it is a series of steps that are taken every few months, each one leading to the next improvement in a proportional, linear manner. But that isn’t how it works. It’s specifically non-linear.

Big steps are made at some points, then regression may come, then a loss of confidence, and then an injury, and then, upon return, it may take time to rediscover the same form of before. It is unpredictable, unruly, often lending itself to luck as much as judgement and hard work. It is a curved line, not a straight one. That is why Bellerin is untouchable. He’s still only 23.

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However, for how long should he be untouchable? How long should Emery wait for Bellerin to realise his potential and deliver on what is expected of him? That is when the Catalunian becomes noticeably touchable. For now, Bellerin is untouchable, but he needs to begin to prove that he’s worth such recognition.