This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Dani Ceballos seems a man reformed at Arsenal and away from Real Madrid but even though he has risen in form, the Galacticos should not be looking to recover the player at the end of his loan deal.
On the chalkboard
The 23-year-old midfielder never managed to find his groove in the Spanish capital.
And yes, he was brought in as a young talent coming from Real Betis but for one reason or another, he never truly got the chance he needed in order to show his full potential.
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As a direct result of that, he only accumulated 56 appearances for Los Blancos and tallied five goals and two assists under his name in the process.
Zinedine Zidane knew there was talent somewhere underneath the youth and the inexperience but that decision to loan him out to Arsenal has proven to be a good move for both parties in hindsight.
More of the same
The 23-year-old is a creative outlet for Arsenal.
So far, he has played in a total of nine games in the Premier League, starting in five of those and recording 484 minutes in the process.
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And even though he has somewhat dipped in form and game time recently, he is still having a good season in England.
Ceballos has tallied two assists to his name so far and registered 0.9 shots, one key pass and 1.2 dribbles per game. Those numbers, even though they are not extraordinary, are still promising for a young midfielder.
The problem, however, is that Real Madrid have a lot of what he offers already at the club.
With the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric still going strong and the emergence of James Rodriguez and Federico Valverde, Ceballos wouldn’t really be able to stand out at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Simply put, and even though it may sound cruel, Los Blancos simply have no need of him anymore.
For the moment, he does look like he could have a bright future but for Zidane’s troops, his addition would only mean adding more of the same to the squad that needs a fresh outlook, a new start and a big presence in midfield rather than a rookie at the start of his career.
Not to mention that Real Madrid reportedly have their sights set on Christian Eriksen, who would be yet another top-tier midfielder standing in Ceballos’ way and offering exactly the same things, only better in many ways.
Between the great Dane and the young Gunner, there should be no debate as to who is needed.
According to El Desmarque, the Spaniard has already talked to Florentino Perez about possibly staying at the Emirates so both parties should call it a day and cut ties in the near future.
At the end of the day, it’s a win-win scenario.