My idea was to go out, play football and return to Real Madrid, says Dani Ceballos
Real Madrid star Dani Ceballos has backtracked on moving to Arsenal permanently from the Los Blancos, claiming that he was looking for a way to play football again. The Spaniard has made an excellent start to life as an Arsenal player effectively replacing Mesut Ozil for manager Unai Emery so far.
With Arsenal losing Aaron Ramsey to Juventus this summer, the North London giants desperately needed a midfield superstar to help lead the team. Denis Praet was once considered and so were the likes of Nabil Fekir, Denis Zakaria, and Emre Can but no moves ever materialized. However, they eventually made a move for Real Madrid star Dani Ceballos but it was just a loan move with no option to buy in the future.
While it has been a smart move by the club and a move that has seen the Spaniard displace Mesut Ozil as Arsenal’s main creator, the 23-year-old is still looking forward to returning back to Real Madrid. However, a recent interview did reveal that Ceballos enjoyed Arsenal and London enough to consider a permanent move but the former Real Betis star has backtracked on that promise. In a follow-up interview, Ceballos went on to say that all he meant was that he doesn’t like when he doesn’t play football which is what happened at Real Madrid.
"What I meant to say, was When I do not play, I don't enjoy myself. I have learnt a lot in these two years at Real Madrid, but now I am enjoying [my football]. I knew that it was an important year, the coach [for Spain, Robert Moreno] has doubts and the one who doesn't play isn't going to be called up; it was a good time to go out on loan,” he told Radio MARCA.
The Spaniard has hit the ground running at Arsenal since joining the club in the summer and has enjoyed his time with the first-team. Not only that, his performances have seen him called up in both the international breaks for the Spanish national team, with Ceballos playing big role for Spain’s national team coach Robert Moreno. Ceballos went on to admit that it is exactly what he wants and their next target is qualifying for the 2020 Euro with Spain looking to bring in back home.
"Right now I am where I want to be and I am very happy. My idea was to go out, play and enjoy football. In the previous two years I had not done so. In this national team there is no one indisputable. I am very happy with the trust that has been placed in me. Our goal is to reach the European Championship in the best possible conditions. We have a team with a lot of room for improvement. We work side by side to show the level we want in the European Championship,” concluded the Spaniard.