Broadcaster Will O’Callaghan has recently made a claim about Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin and Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in signing the Spaniard.
O’Callaghan was a guest on the latest episode of the OTB Football podcast. He discussed many potential transfers in European football.
He also talked about PSG’s interest in signing Bellerin this summer. The broadcaster said that he would be “shocked” if the Gunners sell Bellerin in the ongoing summer transfer window.
Can Arsenal afford to sell Bellerin?
Yes, sell him
No, keep him
It has recently been reported that the Ligue 1 giants have made an offer of £25m plus £5m for the Spanish right-back, who is valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt.
The report claims that the Parisiens were in contact with Arsenal last week and Bayern Munich are also interested in the defender (as per The Guardian).
O’Callaghan said that he would be “shocked” if the Gunners accept that offer from PSG this summer.
He said: “I’d be shocked if Arsenal sold him, especially at that price, and even if the price was double that – because Arsenal aren’t blessed for options over on the right-hand side.
“They had to play [Cedric] Soares, after they signed him from Southampton, at right-back. I know they’ve got some other players who are like midfielders that can convert.
“We’ll see if [Ainsley] Maitland-Niles is at the club at the end of this transfer window with Leicester and Wolves potentially looking at him.
“You can play Calum Chambers over there. You can play guys that aren’t naturals at right-back, but Bellerin is one of the few players that can actually add a little bit of width and stay down the touchline on the right-hand side. I’d be shocked if he went there.”
TIF Thoughts…
Bellerin made 15 Premier League appearances in the 2019/20 season and picked up a rating of only 6.64 during those matches. As a result, as many as 14 Arsenal players picked up better ratings than the Spaniard last season.
It is important to note that Bellerin has had multiple injury issues over the last two seasons and one of them was a cruciate ligament rupture that he suffered back in the 2018/19 campaign (as per Transfermarkt).
So, injuries might have hindered Bellerin’s development over the last two seasons and he may come up with better performances once he gets a full season under his belt.
He picked up better ratings in the two seasons before the 2018/19 campaign and that might be a reflection of the fact that an injury-free Bellerin can still be an important player for Arsenal. So, selling him at this point may not be a good idea.