“He called me” – Robert Pires reveals advice he gave Hector Bellerin ahead of switching Arsenal for Real Betis

Arsenal legend Robert Pires has revealed that he spoke to Hector Bellerin ahead of the Spaniard's loan move to Real Betis. Bellerin, 27, had been a mainstay in the Gunners' side since breaking into the senior team set-up.

However, during the latter stages of his time at the Emirates Stadium, the former Barcelona academy defender found first-team opportunities hard to come by.

He would subsequently be tracked by La Liga side Real Betis and Pires has revealed his role in advising Bellerin to make the move.

Pires told LiveScore (via Metro):

"Hector Bellerin has had a good impact at Real Betis. He’s a professional. For him at the end with Arsenal, it was difficult to find a position, so he chose to join LaLiga, especially Real Betis."

Pires continued,

"He called me and asked me about the manager, Manuel Pellegrini, who was my manager at Villarreal. I said Hector, look, if you have the opportunity to play with Pellegrini you need to go, because you will enjoy it."

Since making the move, the right-back has become a regular under Pellegrini for Betis. He has appeared 29 times for Los Verdiblancos and is enjoying his time in Spain where he is being given a regular starting berth.

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Hector Bellerin's Arsenal exit right for all parties

Hector Bellerins loan deal may be made permanent

With Mikel Arteta undertaking a huge transformation of the Gunners, the time was right for Bellerin to part ways.

He had been Arsenal's first-choice right-back for many years but was starting to lack form and was encountering criticism from fans.

At Betis, he is becoming a main man for the team and will look to make his loan move permanent (as per Football London).

Having spent a decade in the Premier League, the Spaniard has returned to his homeland and seems to have turned things around.

Meanwhile, at Arsenal, they have brought in Takehiro Tomiyasu who has excelled when available. But the problem has been his availability as injury issues have hampered his progression.

Cedric Soares has filled in admirably in his absence but there is a feeling that another right-back may be brought in to provide more cover. One right-back being linked is Shakhtar Donetsk defender Dodo.

According to UOL in Brazil (via Football London), the north London side, Bayern Munich, and Bournemouth, are all keeping tabs on the Brazilian.

The 23-year-old has four assists in 26 appearances across all competitions and has been impressive for Donetsk.