Hector Bellerin take a thrown-in against Chelsea (Getty Images)
According to the Sun, Barcelona are in talks with Arsenal over the transfer of Hector Bellerin. It is no secret that the Catalans always had an interest in their former youth product and could look to bring him in to replace Nelson Semedo.
Hector Bellerin is a 25-year-old Spanish right-back who plays for Arsenal. The Spaniard started out his youth career at the famous La Masia academy of Barcelona in 2003. He spent 8 years there before Arsene Wenger brought him to Arsenal.
For 2 years he was playing with the U-18s and U-21s. He was sent out on loan to Watford in 2013 but couldn’t get a decent run of games. However, it was during the 2014-15 season that Bellerin exploded onto the scene. His ridiculous pace and control took everyone by surprise and he claimed the right-back spot for his own.
Since then, he has made over 200 appearances, scoring 8 goals and assisting 25 (source – Transfermarkt). He also has 3 caps for the Spanish national team.
It is almost appalling that a club like Barcelona haven’t yet found a suitable replacement for the enigmatic Dani Alves at right-back. They have tried a bunch of players but no long-term solution was found.
First, they experimented with Sergi Roberto (who is a midfielder originally), and then spent money to bring in Nelson Semedo. We all know what Alphonso Davies did to him in Barca’s Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich.
Barcelona are in the middle of a summer clear-out and Nelson Semedo wasn’t among the four names that would not face the axe (source – Mirror). The Portuguese has been offered to a lot of teams but has found no takers so far (source – The Sun).
Bellerin can be considered as an upgrade over Semedo and Barcelona could do well with a player like him. He already has roots in the club where he spent 8 years in the academy. He would have no problems adjusting to the club’s style and philosophy.
Though he hasn’t been in top form in recent times, Barcelona should take him in purely due to his quality.