Albert Botines, CEO of Goal Management, talks exclusively to Halftimers about how he secured his client a move to Betis before the transfer window closed

From the moment the 2020-21 season came to an end, Hector Bellerin knew the time had come for a change of scenery.

After more than a decade in England with Arsenal, he wanted to try something new. Arsenal were aware of his wishes and were not going to stand in his way providing a deal could be found.

So, it was down to Bellerin’s agent to find his client a move.

And for Albert Botines, who is the CEO of Goal Management and has represented the right-back since he was just 14, that was a task he was determined to get right.

It was far from easy, with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic complicating the market and Bellerin’s high wages proving problematic for interested clubs across Europe.

However, with just hours of the window remaining, a season-long loan move to Real Betis was agreed.

For Bellerin, it meant a return to Spain 10 years after leaving Barcelona as a teenager and, for his father, a boyhood Betis fan, it meant the realisation of a lifelong dream.

Now, nearly six weeks after finalising the move for Bellerin, Botines speaks exclusively to Goal about what went on during the summer and why the defender wanted to try something new.

“After 10 years, Hector had in his mind that it was the right time to change,” Botines said. “But it wasn’t only about Arsenal, it was also about the Premier League, about the country, about everything.

“He moved when he was 16 from Barca to Arsenal, from Spain to England. During the Covid-19 time without his family, he was so alone in north London. Only training, then going home. He had more time to think about it and he thought this was the right time to move on.”

Bellerin’s desire to find a new club during the summer was not a secret. It was widely expected that he would leave and that Arsenal were prioritising finding a new right-back for the 2021-22 campaign.

Botines spent the summer looking at options across Europe. There was interest from clubs in France but Bellerin’s preference was to either go home or try his luck in Serie A.

“He was more focused on going to Italy or Spain because he felt like it was the right time to go to those leagues,” Botines explained. “There were many opportunities during the market.

"Sometimes, it seemed like something could get agreed, but then it changed. It was a really long market.”

As the window edged towards a conclusion, Bellerin was still at Arsenal and he was an unused substitute during the defeat at Brentford on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

But attempts to find him a move away were intensifying behind scenes, with Inter a potential destination.

The Italian champions held talks with Arsenal over a possible deal for the 26-year-old before ultimately deciding to move for Dutch international Denzel Dumfries.

With Inter out of the running, discussions were continuing over a move to La Liga, with Barcelona and Real Betis the two main contenders.

Both were appealing options for the defender and it looked for a time that a return to Camp Nou was on the cards.

Arsenal went as far as making an offer for Emerson Royal, which involved Bellerin going the other way, but a larger offer from Tottenham ultimately saw the 22-year-old Brazilian right-back move to the opposite end of north London.