Hector Bellerin opens up on deadline day return to Barcelona: “It’s a homecoming”

Barcelona’s capture of Hector Bellerin on deadline day raised many eyebrows, especially after the club opted to offload Sergino Dest out on a loan deal.

Bellerin, who had started his career at La Masia, voiced his delight after sealing his return to Camp Nou. He also stated his objective for the season ahead and offered insights into his past opportunities to join Barcelona.

“It’s one of these things that you feel you’ll have the opportunity to experience,” said Bellerin after finalising his move to Barcelona.

“I’ve had the opportunity before but for one thing or another, it hasn’t happened. It’s been one of the years I least expected to come back here, but for me, it’s a homecoming and I’m very excited,” he added.

Bellerin is coming on the back of an 11-year spell at Arsenal that saw him make 239 competitive appearances for the club. From being hailed as one of the best right-backs in Europe to becoming a fringe player under Mikel Arteta, his career has been full of ups and downs.

Speaking about his spell at Arsenal, Bellerin added: “I cannot compare the 16-year-old boy who left here with the 27-year-old who returns.

“I am very proud and grateful to the people I have met in these 11 years that I have been away and to those who have made me the person I am today. A person with very different ambitions and with a lot of desire and the same enthusiasm”.

Bellerin joins Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal. The defender did have a contract at Emirates, but the club offered him a letter of freedom to ease his departure, despite the player enjoying a rather decent loan spell at Real Betis.

“Last year I lived more or less the same. I knew what I had to do during the summer. I thought that I could even stay at Arsenal to finish my contract but in the end, the outcome was very nice,” said Bellerin, who will be expected to hit the ground running due to his vast experience at the highest level of football.

Many expect the Spaniard to feature in the upcoming game against Sevilla, although fitness might be an issue, especially given his lack of game-time at Arsenal.