Real Madrid will listen to offers for £25 million misfit Dani Ceballos in the summer with Crystal Palace looking to bring the former Arsenal loanee back to the Premier League, as reported by Sport.
It’s difficult to know what to make of Ceballos’ two-year stint at the Emirates Stadium? Did he live up to expectations? Or did he underwhelm? Did he thrive or merely survive?
It’s a question that would divide Arsenal supporters right down the middle. Much in the same way Ceballos did during his time in North London.
The silky Spaniard didn’t manage a single goal in 34 league starts for the Gunners.
But there’s more to football than simply putting the ball in the back of the net and some of Arsenal’s best performances in the early days of Mikel Arteta came when Ceballos was at his string-pulling, tempo-setting best.
It was a costly red card in Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Villarreal that brought the curtain down on Ceballos’ Gunners career however.
According to The Independent, Arsenal opted against extending the 25-year-old’s stay the Emirates. Arteta is nothing if not a disciplinarian after all.
Is Dani Ceballos returning to England?
Though, given Ceballos barely missed an opportunity to point out that he was desperate to make a name for himself at his parent club, it’s doubtful that a man named Player of the Tournament at the 2017 U21 European Champions would have signed on the dotted line anyway.
It’s fair to say things haven’t really worked out for Ceballos back in Madrid. He’s played just 41 minutes of La Liga football under Carlo Ancelotti.
And, with Inter Milan, Crystal Palace and former employers Real Betis expressing an interest, Real won’t stand in Ceballos’ way. Especially with his contract expiring in 2023.
Though Ceballos never really stood out at Arsenal, he certainly could at Selhurst Park. Particularly with Patrick Vieira introducing a stylish, possession-based approach perfectly suited to the Andalusian-born playmaker.
“I think Dani’s one of the best players I’ve seen in my career,” said former Arsenal team-mate Hector Bellerin.
“He’s a great player.”
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