Arsenal saw off a lot of competition to sign Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid in the summer.
Despite a promising start, the Spaniard has not really lived up to expectations.
He has made only 10 Premier League starts, having missed time to injury, as well as working under three different managers.
Now Ceballos’ latest comments show he is already planning his return to Spain when his loan spell ends.
Quoted by Onda Cero, Ceballos said he still hopes to win over Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, and become a key player for the La Liga giants.
Ceballos said: “When my loan contract ends I will be a Real Madrid player again. My goal is to succeed there.”
While he also insisted he is committed to Arsenal until the end of his loan deal, you have to wonder whether the Gunners feel the same way.
Arsenal have nine Premier League games left, and Mikel Arteta is building for the future.
It makes more sense for Arteta to take a closer look at the players who he plans to build around next season.
Of course if Ceballos really stands out in training as superior to his teammates, then it will be hard for Arteta to leave him out, as Arsenal still have a shot of qualifying for the Champions League, and winning the FA Cup.
But if there is a straight choice between Ceballos and one of his teammates, who have been performing and training on the same level, Arteta may choose to select the one who will be a Gunner next season, and not the player who will be at the Bernabeu.
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