Arsenal: Second coming of Hector Bellerin happiness could be crucial

Arsenal had a brief period of panic with Hector Bellerin, but it looks as though the Spaniard has found his home, and he’s here.

Arsenal have a true gem in Hector Bellerin. And I am 100% confident saying that, even now, after he had a bit of a rough season last year, because at 23-years-old, he is still one of the best at what he does, and he has so much more room to grow.

Plus, a lot of growth can be attained when a player truly settles in and feels at home. Sometimes that never happens, and a player wanders around, never finding where he belongs. Sometimes it happens right away.

With Bellerin, it’s been a bit of a journey. When he first arrived, he was as grateful as can be. Here we had a teenager who was spared the logjam at Barcelona and given a chance to succeed at a top-tier club.

It sounded like the perfect match, and Bellerin was always keen to point out how happy he was with Arsene Wenger’s ‘rescue mission.’

But things changed. Bellerin went from “I’d hang up on Barcelona if they called,” to “I’d love to play for Barcelona again.” Not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from a player who is still developing at your club.

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However, in just a year, this has all changed again. Now, we are back to Bellerin “rubbishing” exit talk, stating that he is very happy at Arsenal and dismissing all talk of leaving.

I have to believe that this is a major step in Bellerin’s development. And I mean that. being able to seriously settle into the team you play for and love it is a major step that can work wonders on the mental status.

Which would ideally mean that we will see a re-emergent Bellerin next year, back at his best. And by best, I mean the kind of guy who can burn an entire flank against Bayern Munich, from one goal box to the other.

He made that run right around the time he was truly happy with the Gunners (the first time). He hit his stumbling block when he was flirting with Barcelona. Now that he is settled and truly happy (the second time), the parallel can’t be ignored.

He is ready to make his mark for the long-term. So let’s enjoy it.