Gus Poyet comments on Dani Ceballos potentially joining Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with Dani Ceballos.

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet has told AS that he thinks Dani Ceballos would be wise to stay at Real Madrid despite interest from Spurs.

Ceballos was a star with Real Betis before making a 2017 move to Real Madrid, where he has found consistent first-team football hard to come by.

The playmaker has been particularly out of favour under Zinedine Zidane, and that has resulted in speculation about his future at the Santiago Bernabeu.

El Desmarque report that Tottenham are willing to spend up to €50mllion (£44million) to Ceballos, and are leading the race for his signature.

It’s unclear just how true that report is, given that Spurs are focusing on Giovani Lo Celso as their next playmaking target, but they’ll have surely been impressed with his displays for Spain Under-21’s.

Ceballos has excelled at the Under-21 European Championships, registering two goals and two assists in three games having been given the key role he’s been lacking at Real.

Now, ex-Spurs midfielder Poyet – who coached Ceballos at Betis – has offered his view, praising his displays for Spain Under-21’s whilst noting it’s hard for him to take on that same responsibility.

Poyet added that he would stay at Madrid if he was Ceballos, and if he does move to Tottenham, then the most important thing has to be whether Pochettino actually wants him, as Zidane doesn’t appear to.

“Dani showed the player he is in the Under-21’s,” said Poyet. “He is the protagonist when he is in charge of carrying the weight of the team, of producing, creating, approaching the area. The problem in Madrid is with whom he plays next, other players who have to play that role. For example, Modric, Golden Ball. That gives him a different role. Whether he continues or not in Madrid is more a matter of tactics than of him as a footballer.”

“It’s very complicated. With my mentality, of more than 50 years, I would stay in Madrid. But there are things that I do not know, and Madrid is unique. The main thing is that he is wanted by Pochettino.” he added.