Arsenal: 10-step summer plan to solve team

Bring Dani Ceballos back

What to do with Dani Ceballos? It all depends on price, availability. The Spaniard has impressed on his year-long loan, and with a formation shift, his creative instincts could be better utilised. Moreover, dig into the numbers a little, and while he has only played 912 Premier League minutes this year, his performances have been very good.

Ceballos completed 1.6 of his 2.1 dribble attempts per 90 minutes in the Premier League. In the Europa League, he completed 3.5 and 5.2 per 90. He completed just short of 90% of his passes, a team-leading figure, and created 1.5 chances per 90 minutes, the third-best in the squad excluding those who have played fewer than 700 minutes.

Defensively, he is industrious and tireless, if not always effective. Excluding players who played fewer than 700 minutes again, none averaged more successful tackles or more attempted tackles per 90 minutes. Meanwhile, of central midfielders, only Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira average more interceptions per 90. With all that in mind, should the right fee be possible, in the region of £30-40 million, signing Ceballos would be a smart move. Partnering Ceballos with Aouar in central midfield would provide Arsenal with one of the most progressive, creative, skilful, expert dribbling midfield partnerships in the Premier League.

Moreover, if the money is tight, which it very well will be, Ceballos might yet be available on another year-long loan. He has publicly stated how much he has enjoyed his time at Arsenal, and with Real Madrid seemingly not interested in his future, a loan with an option to buy, thus kicking the financial can down the road, is highly possible.