Hector Bellerin admits he agreed to join Arsenal in the summer only after fellow Barcelona junior Jon Toral had also accepted terms.
The pair are now part of the Gunners' U18 team after coming through at the La Masia.
"That was important," Bellerin told arsenal.com. "The fact that Jon had agreed to join Arsenal was a convincing factor. Leaving friends and family would be difficult, but I knew that we could support each other and that is the way it has been. We both live in digs with Sean McDermott and Donna, our landlady, makes us feel at home.
"I have to be honest and say that I obviously miss my friends and family, but I would not say I have felt homesick or sad and that is very much because I have no time alone and we are always doing things. If I were alone here that may have been different. Apart from Jon and Sean being good friends, the rest of the squad are fantastic and there are also plenty of Spanish speakers here, including Emi Martinez and Ignasi Miquel who are good friends."