Robert Pires admits he spoke to Hector Bellerin and advised the Arsenal defender to move to Real Betis on loan.
Bellerin, who first joined the north London club from Barcelona’s academy in 2011, made the switch to La Liga in the summer transfer window on a season-long loan spell.
The 27-year-old had been finding playing time hard to come by at the Emirates, but he has featured regularly at Betis this season.
Before making the move, Bellerin sought advice from Arsenal legend Pires, who talked up the prospect of playing under Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini.
LaLiga ambassador Pires, speaking on behalf of LiveScore, said: ‘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.
‘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.
‘The most important thing is to enjoy your football. Not just playing the game itself, of course that’s important. But also, every morning, being at Real Betis, going in to the club.
‘Hector Bellerin has a lot of experience at a high level and I’m happy for him that he is at Real Betis.’
LaLiga ambassador Robert Pires was speaking at an event for LiveScore, Official Global Scoring Partner of LaLiga Santander. To read the full article, visit LiveScore’s News section here.
MORE : Kevin Campbell warns Arsenal against signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share this with