Arsenal: Just keep piling on the Dani Ceballos pressure

There are increasing suggestions that Dani Ceballos may consider his long-term future at the end of the season. All Arsenal have to do is keep impressing him.

When Aaron Ramsey walked out of the Emirates front door with all the well wishes in the world but no money coming the other way, it was immediately clear: not only did Arsenal need to find a replacement for the Welshman; they would have to do so cheaply, and that might require a little invention.

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So the Gunners did precisely that. They signed Dani Ceballos on a season-long loan, the Spanish midfielder brought to north London with his game time at Real Madrid likely to be diminished.

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Ceballos has always intended to return to Madrid. It is his dream to play for Real Madrid, not Arsenal. But having turned 23 years of age in the summer, there was an acceptance that he needed to play and play regularly, and so a loan deal became a clear possibility.

Realistically, Ceballos is a far higher calibre player than Arsenal would usually be able to attract, especially on a senior basis. He starred for Spain under-21s in the summer’s European Championships, is widely touted as a future star for his country and is expected to be one of the premier central midfielders in Europe for the next decade.

But because of his eagerness to play regularly, Unai Emery and Raul Sanllehi jumped at the chance to sign him, even if it was only on a temporary basis.

Now, however, the discussion has turned towards what may come to pass at the end of the year. Yes, Ceballos at Arsenal in the here and now, but if he was to return to Madrid next summer, the same Ramsey-shaped hole would still exist in the heart of the midfield. The Gunners would face the same predicament as this summer, if with a little more money to spend.

Given his early performances and undoubted quality, it makes a lot of sense for Emery and the club to chase the permanent signing of Ceballos. Despite the midfielder’s public desires of wanting to return and star for Madrid, head coach Zinedine Zidane seems insistent that he will not play regularly and Ceballos is reportedly coming to the realisation that he will have to leave the Bernabeu.

Even with this development, it will still be difficult for Emery and co. to convince Ceballos to remain in north London, especially if they miss out on Champions League football. But this at least opens the door a little, enough to give the club hope.

If they do want to sign Ceballos, then, they simply have to keep the pressure on, keep impressing him and hope that they can continue to change his mind. He is beginning to consider his options, and the more that happens, the better chance the Gunners have of securing him long-term.