Bellerin hints he has no intention to return to Arsenal and could stay at Real Betis

Bellerin joined Arsenal's academy from Barcelona at the age of 16 in 2011, and after breaking into the first team he quickly became a fan favourite at the Emirates.

The Spaniard earned cult status in north London with his attacking displays and London accent, and even wore the captain's armband on several occasions.

However, Bellerin's relationship with the club quickly broke down under current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, with the full-back no longer first choice.

The 26-year-old eventually made a deadline day loan move to LaLiga side Real Betis during the summer, the team he supported as a boy thanks to his former footballer and Sevilla-born father.

Bellerin has featured four times for Betis since moving to the city of Sevilla, and is already thinking about his long term future at the club with his Arsenal contract expiring in 2022.

"I don't know, but I've always said if I didn't want to be here next season, I wouldn't have come from the beginning," Bellerin told El Desmarque.

"There are many things to be decided but what I want to do is enjoy this season that I am here. And what has to happen will happen."

Bellerin reportedly took a considerable pay-cut to make the move happen, having wanted to join the club he grew up supporting, having previously admitted all his first football shirts as a kid were Betis kits.

And he hinted his love for the club would make it an easy decision to stay, despite the reduced salary on offer in southern Spain.

"It is clear that money is something important, because it is our job. But I think in football that love of sport, of the club, is being lost," he said.

"And for me, after having understood and had that feeling since childhood, there are things that you put first.

"This past year and a half has made us rethink many things. For me and for everyone it was an effort to carry out the operation, not only from the point of view of money.

"Also how much it cost us to get here. In the end, those efforts pay off and I had other priorities when making my decision."

Bellerin was both politically and socially active during his time in England, commenting on politics, whilst joining up with environmental campaigns, including buying a stake in Forest Green Rovers.

Mikel Arteta has brought in Takehiro Tomiyasu to fill Bellerin's place at right-back, with the Japan international already winning plaudits for his early performances.

However, the Arsenal manager recently commented on the situation, with Bellerin clearly still admired in north London.

"To find someone like Hector is not easy," Arteta said. "He has been raised here with us and is loved by everyone at the football club.

"I had to say goodbye with sadness but at the same time, I had to understand his position.

"He needed a new challenge, he has needed a new challenge for a while now. After discussions for a long time, we decided to let him go because it was the right thing for him as well. He always told me about playing one day at Betis, we had talked about it."