Barcelona right-back Hector Bellerin has claimed his former side Arsenal are now feeling the benefit of standing by manager Mikel Arteta after some turbulent periods at the Gunners' helm.
Bellerin called time on his own stay at the Emirates last summer after more than a decade in north London to return to Catalonia. Injuries undeniably curtailed what once promised to be an amazing career in an Arsenal shirt and the defender was slowly but surely phased out of the first-team fold under his former teammate Arteta.
Last season, the Spain international was loaned out to boyhood club Real Betis before his eventual Barcelona return, the same club Arsenal signed him from when he was just 16 years of age. The deal was only made possible by the Gunners agreeing to terminate his contract early.
It comes as quite the surprise given the way he was removed from the first-team dynamic after so long at Arsenal that Bellerin seemingly holds no grudges against Arteta. In fact, he has actually praised his old side for sticking by the boss when the going got tough.
Tough might actually be an understatement, the 2020/21 campaign saw the Gunners produce some of their worst form since the 1950s as they slumped to a second successive eighth-placed finish and failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in 26 years.
Things didn't exactly look on the up in the opening exchanges of the following season when Arsenal lost three from their opening three, conceding nine and scoring none in the process. However, Bellerin has explained why he thinks it is a good thing that the Gunners' board kept the faith.
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"In football, in general, there is less and less patience," he told reporters earlier this week. "There is clear evidence of how important the process is. In England, it has happened with [Pep] Guardiola, [Jurgen] Klopp and Arteta.
"Projects that have faces and eyes have to be prepared, and the process is long. Confidence and continuing to improve is important. Rome wasn't built in a day."
Bellerin's comments come just a day after reports emerged in Spain linking Arteta with the Barcelona job, despite the club having no desire to part ways with current boss Xavi anytime soon.
The Blaugrana were dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage for the second year in a row, sparking speculation Xavi's place in the Camp Nou hot seat is under threat.
Those at the top of the Barcelona hierarchy have reportedly marked Arteta as a 'firm candidate' to replace Xavi in the seasons to come, as per Spanish outlet Sport.
Arteta only signed a three-year contract extension at the Emirates in April of this year, meaning any exit seems unlikely - especially in light of Arsenal's sensational form so far this season.
