Arsenal and Dani Ceballos: Exceeding expectations the best vindication

Dani Ceballos has one match left in an Arsenal shirt, and time is running out for the Gunners to sign the Spaniard. His performances alone vindicate a permanent deal.

Dani Ceballos should be an Arsenal player next year. These are the facts of the case, and they are undisputed. The Spaniard brings something to the table that no other player can. That is to say, everything.

Under Mikel Arteta, Ceballos has been tasked with rigorous defensive duties, the role of midfield pivot, and is the primary creative playmaker to boot. In other words, he’s been told to win the ball, carry it out from the back, maintain possession, and then create the most chances. And best of all, he’s succeeding.

Since the restart, Ceballos has led the team in touches, key passes, dribbles completed, tackles, interceptions, ball recoveries, and distance covered. He was signed on loan in a very Denis Suarez-esque manner, in that he was a dynamic Spanish midfielder whose primary role was to create chances, but he has entirely outlived his expectations, and that alone is reason enough to sign him.

Furthermore, he’s a proven entity. There’s an inherent risk attached to any transfer, unless the player has proven that he can cut it at the highest level, which Ceballos has. And not only proven, but he wants to stay under Arteta, a narrative that has changed significantly since the start of the year.

Ceballos has made himself a home in North London, and the player has admitted he does not believe he will ever play for Real Madrid under Zidane. Los Blancos are looking to offload him to raise funds for their summer transfers, and the widely quoted price is around £25 million.

This is a buyers market, and if Ceballos is available for half of his market price, Arsenal would be fools to say no. He wants a future in North London, and the Gunners should get him regardless of cost. The fact that it’s a complete and utter steal of a deal just happens to sweeten the deal a bit further.

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A transfer that actually benefits all parties involved, with little to no downside, is an incredibly rare occurrence in the world of football. The cash-strapped Gunners get the heir apparent to one of their most beloved midfield titans on a cut-price deal.

Though diminutive, Santi Cazorla is a giant in the hearts of Arsenal fans around the world, and he has left a giant-sized creative hole in the center of the midfield since his departure for Villarreal. Dani Ceballos is the first man who I believe can fill those boots.

And when Arsenal finally sign a suitable midfield general, Dani Ceballos will finally realize the potential that brought him to the Bernabeu, then the Emirates—a dynamic, all-action number 8, who, whether he’s battling in the trenches, or coasting around defenders like they’re not there, will be a mainstay of the Arsenal midfield for the foreseeable future.

The Spaniard has already exceeded expectations at the Emirates, and that’s all the justification Arsenal should need to make him one of our own. And considering all of the extra bonuses attached, losing Ceballos might be the biggest miss of the last decade. Get it done.