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City Transfer Target Evaluation — Part 3 (Right-Back)

By Taras Tataryn

Pablo Zabaleta, a true Manchester City legend, waves goodbye to City fans at the Etihad for the last time.
Pablo Zabaleta, a true Manchester City legend, waves goodbye to City fans at the Etihad for the last time. /
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Hector Bellerin — Arsenal (Spanish international)

Rating: 8/10

Likelihood: 3.4/5

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 16: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal in action during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on May 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 16: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal in action during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on May 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Not quite sure what to think of Hector Bellerin at the moment. From my point of view, Bellerin has been highly consistent this season, and is probably the reason why they switched to the new formation recently.

Nonetheless, I, and City scouts, are surely aware of the qualities he possesses. He’s been in the Arsenal squad who have disappointed the last couple of years, but the team plays a similar tiki-taka style of football to City. Bellerin is a player who could be molded into the City lineup quite well, in my opinion. Moreover, this is not the first time we have been linked with Bellerin either, having been rumored last summer and was being looked at as a winter transfer.

In terms of style, Bellerin loves to use his pace. It aids him defensively and going forward as he loves to hold on to the ball and dribble when he gets the chance (highlight video). Bellerin also has looked strong on the ball in keeping possession and has done a decent job defensively for Arsenal.

Rating Explanation:

I personally don’t rate him that highly, as I’m not so sure he offers that much going forward — he seems very similar to Jesus Navas in this respect. He is not a great crosser of the ball and relies too much on his pace at times. Nonetheless, he is a natural right-back unlike Navas. He would still be an upgrade to what we have in this position at the moment. In comparison to the rest of the RB targets, Bellerin might be the quickest, and his take-on % is the highest. However, he lacks in other areas including chance creation, tackles, and interceptions (Squawka comparison matrix).

I definitely think that Bellerin could improve. With the right players around him, he could be a top quality right-back.

Likelihood: 

Bellerin has been linked with City before, but also has been linked with a move elsewhere. The other major team looking at him has been Barcelona. We probably can’t beat out them if they continue to be interested. However we could very well have a shot at him if they pull out or Bellerin prefers to stay in the EPL.

This article written by the Manchester Evening News reported that Guardiola was interested in the summer and that Bellerin was flattered by Guardiola’s interest. It “motivated him” and Bellerin, in an interview, also said that he described Mikael Arteta as a fatherly figure. Remember that Arteta is now an assistant under Pep… Arsenal does not have Champions League anymore and the management is still an issue. Bellerin could force a move away from the Emirates.

Strengths:

  • Pace (fastest out of these 5 on FIFA)
  • Dribbling
  • Passing

Weaknesses:

Tackling

Crossing

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