Dani Ceballos has earned a regular starting spot on loan for Arsenal this season, but can we persuade him to stay?
The Spanish international has impressed in North London this term, whether under Unai Emery at the start of the season or under new coach Mikel Arteta since December, and is now believed to be a potential target come the end of the season.
Marca claims that Real Madrid are willing to sell for €25 Million this summer as long as Zinedine Zidane confirms that Dani is not a part of his plans for the new season, but I’m not sure we would be able to convince him to extend his stay with the club.
As much as Ceballos has enjoyed being a first-team regular, and will be keen to continue playing a key role for a club going into the new campaign, he is a very ambitious individual, and may not be willing to play for a club that doesn’t qualify for Europe for next season.
Dani hasn’t once mentioned any possibility of staying at the Emirates Stadium beyond the current campaign, and while he has been committed to helping us as best he can throughout the season, his heart isn’t with us in the long-term.
Given that I don’t feel he has his heart with us, and the daunting and extremely likely scenario of failing to qualify for Europe next season, I think it would be extremely tough to convince him to sign for us on a permanent deal.
Dani will likely be eyeing a place in the Spain squad for next summer’s European Championships, and playing outisde of his home country could well hamper his opportunities to impress his international coach.
This is before we even consider the ramifications on our playing squad and our budget for the summer after the Coronavirus pandemic and the financial implications of failing to qualify for European football, which will no doubt hamper our ability to splash the cash in the coming window.
Do any of you believe that Ceballos has bought into the club? Am I wrong to expect his international hopes to stand in our way in our bid to keep him this summer?
Patrick
