Dani Ceballos makes it clear he prefers Real Madrid to Arsenal
Dani Ceballos was a key part of Arsenal’s success this season under Mikel Arteta, but the Spanish midfielder wants to return to Real Madrid.
Arsenal fans hoping to hear that Dani Ceballos is ready to commit his long-term future to the Premier League club are set to be very disappointed. Even in the aftermath of the club’s improbable run to a FA Cup title, Ceballos clearly has his heart set on a return to Real Madrid.
Ceballos insists that he’s not thinking about what club he wants to play for at the moment, but he also insisted that Real Madrid is “better than any club in the world” during a recent interview with El Partidazo de Cope. It’s worth noting that he didn’t rule out the idea of returning to Arsenal next season, but he hardly seems desperate to reprise his role with the Gunners.
Interestingly, Ceballos also made glowing comments about Real Betis in the same interview. It’s possible that the Spanish midfielder is just determined to return to his home country. Life in England doesn’t always satisfy players from other European nations. Ceballos could well decide that he’d prefer to play for Betis even if Arsenal are likely the superior side.
From an Arsenal perspective, sorting out Ceballos’ immediate future should be one of the club’s top offseason priorities. Arteta has a very clear vision of the sort of midfield he wants to build. If Ceballos isn’t going to be a part of his project moving forward, he’ll need time to purchase a suitable replacement.
The big question here is whether or not Real Madrid are interested in giving Ceballos significant minutes next season. He’s played well at times for Arsenal, but Zinedine Zidane’s squad is well stocked with talented midfielders. Ceballos might find it hard to carve out a meaningful role for Los Blancos if he does return home this offseason.
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The bottom line is that Ceballos doesn’t seem to have enough information at the moment to know where he’ll play football next season. He might dream of suiting up for Real Madrid, but it’s unclear whether or not his parent club is interested in making that dream a reality. The Spaniard’s future is still squarely up in the air.