Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin is keen on extending his stay with Real Betis, football.london understands. Bellerin has made 20 appearances in La Liga this season and established himself as a regular in the team. He recently revealed that the decision to join his boyhood club was made after he consulted an analytics company to find the best fit for him.
“I don’t know what people will think, but the projection that was given to me by the big data was that Betis were going to have a very good year this season, so you can see how these machines work," said Bellerin.
“I have used it a lot for this type of thing, I think that statistics show everything but sometimes not the most important thing too though. I do feel that in some way, a player can affect the play in ways that aren’t calculable with numbers.”
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Bellerin's contract with Arsenal expires in the summer of 2023, although it's believed the Gunners have an option to extend it by another year, which they could trigger in order to protect the player's value.
Antonio Cordon, sporting director at Betis, said recently that negotiations have yet to begin with Arsenal over a permanent transfer. "We haven't negotiated with Arsenal yet and we haven't talked about the future," he said. "We have to wait and see how the season ends."
However, it's understood that all parties are keen on finding an amicable solution which is likely to see Bellerin extend his stay in Spain for at least another season.
"Arsenal are doing amazing and that makes me so happy," Bellerin told Wrighty's House podcast in January. "The player [Takehiro Tomiyasu] they got in my position is doing great.
"There’s literally no hard feelings for me. It’s beautiful to see because I watch every single game and I want the guys to do well."
