Dani Ceballos might have just hinted that he isn’t going to be staying at Arsenal for the long term.
The Spanish midfielder has endured a lukewarm season-long loan in North London from Real Madrid.
Ceballos, who Arsenal are paying £52,000 per week, has started only 10 Premier League games for the English giants.
Much of that is due to injury, but even when he was fit it took him a couple months to play himself into contention under Mikel Arteta, who became the Gunners’ head coach after Ceballos’s original injury.
He was, however, impressing under Arteta when the season was suspended and some Arsenal fans called on the club to sign him up permanently.
But Ceballos himself has suggested that he may want to fight for his place under Zinedine Zidane at Real next season, telling Goal: “I am happy and I have a contract with Real Madrid. I am 23 years old, I have not hit my peak. Now I feel a much better player and I am prepared for any challenge that comes my way.”
If you’re a fan of the North London club, there isn’t much reason for optimism that Ceballos – also linked with a move to Real Betis – wants to stay in England, in light of those comments.
And it might be for the best, because even when he was fit, the Real midfielder was nowhere near consistent enough to be a big player for Arsenal.
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