Dani Ceballos won the hearts of Arsenal fans very quickly this season, but while Unai Emery has been impressed with the midfielder, he says it’s too soon to talk about making his move permanent.
The on-loan Real Madrid man spoke earlier this month about how happy he was at the club, but after just three months the Arsenal boss isn’t prepared to commit to a deal that would probably cost €30-40m.
Ahead of the Europa League game with Vitoria in which the Spanish international is expected to start, Emery was asked about the chances of signing his compatriot on a full-time basis.
“I think it is very soon to say that,” he said.
“Ceballos is doing great things, he is playing regularly. Of course I know he has a lot of potential and I think this is just the beginning.
“We had some good games, sometimes it is not easy for him, I think that’s normal, but I think it is too soon to say if we want to incorporate him in different conditions.
“We are only in October, there is still a long way to take that process. The ultimate goal for me with Ceballos is if he can bring us all his potential.
“If he can help us to achieve all our goals as a team with more positive performances, we are more than happy to count on him.”
So far, Ceballos has produced 2 assists and a goal in his 12 appearances so far. Not bad, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
Let’s hope he can add to that tally tonight and in the important games we have coming up in the Premier League too.
Shouldnt he be saying something more positive:
‘We’d love to keep him, i hope he carries on improving and we’ll talk about this with him later in the year’
He’s basically saying he’s not sure about him. Dont we want ceballos to feel wanted and to play well?
Then the club won’t be putting itself in a good negotiating position.
As much it hurts when I watch what my arsenal is turning into under Emery I still imagine how the people who ll gain the £€$ if the team does well and wins something will be feeling.
No, I actually for once in the last few days I agree with this tactic. I think Arsenal should be absolutely doing what they can to sign Ceballos permanently (he looks a real player that is still learning, but has so much talent), but that should be behind the scenes. Publically they cannot just come out and say we love him and we absolutely want him to stay – all that does is ring bells at Real that they can drive up the price. Privately, I’m certain they are making him very welcome. Just look at the glowing report he… Read more »
i disagree,
i conceed that this tactic might make real push his price up a little.
however, he wants to leave a poor madrid side whom will also be transitioning next season and we have no obligation to buy him.
get the deal done now and sign the dotted line in january.
You have to keep no deal on the table, otherwise those plutocrats on the continent will think we’re pushovers. My grandfather didn’t fight in 3 world wars to be price gouged on a hit-and-miss midfield maestro by the likes of Florentino Perez.
But it’s not ‘too soon’ to get rid of you, Unai. Why is this clown still at our club? If we don’t get a positive result against Palace at the weekend, he needs to go immediately. And I don’t mean a 0-0 draw as a positive result either…
But that shows that we are improving defensively. Hahaha!
What when he finally finds the mythical balance he thinks he’s invented.. you don’t get more balanced than 0-0
0:0 to The Arsenal…
Emery, however, has had enough time to improve our results and performances and has failed.
By his own logic we should not keep him on.
Bollocks, he has improved our results. Our results were definitely better last season than the season before
John C is most likely smoking the same shit as Emery
Hopefully we can get an early deal through, as he settles, his performance levels will go north, but so will his price tag.
He’s at a good age, and he looks to have a high ceiling, striking a deal now for £30-£35million would be good business.
https://tribuna.com/en/arsenal/news/3492832/
I´m going to tak Ozil´s approach on this one. As the matter of fact his next comment also… and – you get it
Let’s first talk about your contract.
Ceballos should be at Arsenal longer than Emery
Mustafi should be at Arsenal longer than Emery
OMG
Even if that means just his loan time.
And a faithful player aka Özil being humiliated for a 15M£ guy who admiitted his wish to succeed at Real… a loanee who plays more than on contract players and brings nothing we don’t have already.. Thank you, signor UE.
Can you stop with the 15 m as that’s clearly a made up number as even blogs himself has responded to you on the comments section
The £15 million is utter hogwash, Mesut is infinitely better atm though
It seems to me you are one of those fans who protest whenever Ozil’s 350k salary is brought into the discussion.
So what has 15M got to do with it (assuming that figure is even correct)?
Here, a taste of your own medicine. #Hypocritical.
If Ozil is being “humiliated” as you say, then it is less likely because of Ceballos than it is for either of the following reasons:
1. Emery doesn’t rate Ozil. AND Raul, Josh et al couldn’t give a fuck about it. or,
2. The club wants to force Ozil out like this because he wouldn’t oblige to leaving without a fight.
Ceballos is here to compete for a starting place with every other player including Ozil… You know.. like how it is normally done in other football clubs.
I am very positive about Ozil, but I agree with both of Usmanov’s comments. The money is irrelevant and you can’t blame Ceballos for playing instead of Ozil any more than you can blame Willock. But you can blame Emery.
“The ultimate goal for me with Ceballos is if he can bring us all his potential.”
For that he has to stay here longer than a year Unai. Or are you picking words from your hat again ?
Thank you Unai Emery on the time you have spent with arsenal football club, I won’t be giving you an analysis of the time you have spent with us for the sake of both our sanity but you seem to be a fairly analytic person so u can do your own performance review. Fortunately Dani’s future is not your decision to make we will leave that up to your successor. I am willing to drive you to the nearest airport and if you are unwilling to accept my offer don’t let the door hit you on your way out. Thank… Read more »
I don’t think Unai has the same magic touch that Klopp and Guardiola has. Team selection is really fucking baffling and quite annoying. It’s getting to the point now where if there is a better manager available why not pull the trigger and give Emery the bullet.
Leno
Bellerin Holding Luiz Tierney
Torriera Guendouzi
Ozil / Ceballos
Pepe Laca Auba
What is stopping us picking a team similar to the above now on a consistent basis?
I’ll answer my own question; Emerys overthinking, stubbornness and misplaced loyalty.
God forbid we’d have some flair and consistency.
Lacazette hasn’t been available with an ankle injury. Bellerin hasn’t been available, and is unlikely to be in the league for a few more weeks, as he ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments. Holding also ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments, and will need to be managed. Tierney has missed 350 days in 3 years, and is coming back from a hernia operation, so we’re likely trying to realign his body composition, so when we throw him into the intensity of the PL, he doesn’t breakdown again. Ozil is a complete waste of space, inconsistent and disinterested, I’d rather go through the… Read more »
I would definitely throw Willock into the mix of the Douzi or Ozil/Ceballos places in that team. He has been exceptional when he was played (without Xhaka – even with the Xhaka handbrake at times). His pace, and drive has been sorely missing for a long time at the Arsenal. I’d almost be tempted to try a midfield trio of: Douzi-Willock-Ceballos[Ozil] I know Douzi still makes some mistakes defensively, but I can see that being our future midfield (if Ceballos stays). IMO that has all the attributes to absolutely dominate the middle of the pitch and once the discipline if… Read more »
I think that team can make it closer to football being an art. Fair. But then…
Its clear to anyone thats our starting line up, i dont know what planet this guy is on
Oh this idiot is talking again…..meh!
He might outlast you, Unai…
Didn’t like Emery’s attitude in the press conference yesterday. He must really take us fans for mugs. Becoming more unlikeable by the day.
Imagine, telling us that we forget things, and that we ignore improvement.
This improvement looks an awful lot like regression
I’ll join others saying that I don’t think it will be up to emery anymore, it is a long term part of the job which Edu and Raul are doing… Hopefully replacement for Emery is already planned and asap we will get rid of this ”controlled risk” strategy clown.
Whenever I see a comment asking for Ozil to come and save our season I am reminded that football fans very often act like a hypocritical mob with a selective and short memory.
It’s interesting how the tone changes 3 months from now.
I am not particularly an Ozil fan myself. What is frustrating with Emery is his persistence in playing a midfield without a single creative link to our very potent front line. At £350k a week and after the dross we’ve seen so far this season, he deserves a run out surely. Emery says “others deserve it more”. On the evidence of what we’ve seen I wouldn’t put the likes of Xhaka in that bracket. Would you?
Exactly!
This is my only gripe with Emery and the Ozil situation.
The club went out on a limb to get you Ceballos -who I am pretty sure you asked for. Now you’ve got him and he looks a pretty handy creative player. So what do you do? Play him sparingly??!! I mean like WTF?!!
It is all down to the point being made that Emery overthinks stuff and he is overly cautious at times unnecessarily. And that is transmitted to the players on the pitch.
It’s not even the playing sparingly that is the biggest issue (he’s get minutes and starts). The issue is he likes to come deep for the ball fairly often and is good at that – picking up the ball and moving with it up the pitch either by beating his man or playing passes around him and following the forward movement of the ball. The problem starts because when we play Xhaka (who can only play in the deep-lying role due to his poor mobility and inability to go past any player with the ball) we must be set-up with… Read more »
Ceballos looks very much a prudent addition. He offers creativity and work rate. It’s on Emery to maximize Ceballos’ potential to solve our problem with creativity. The sooner he does this, the quicker he will get this mob off his back.
So long as I’m concerned it’s only one game that Ceballos has done very well, the rest of the games he’s been nothing but average.
I’m surprised nobody else also feels this way. Maybe I’m missing something….
Is it “too soon” for Unai to leave!?
Play a settled league side of Leno in goal, Bellerin, Holding, Luis and Tierney in defence. Cabellos, Torrierra and Guendouzi in midfield and Lazacette, Auba and Pepe up top and you’ll see improvement in both his performances and that of the teams!
We can’t keep him. He’s too creative! If only he could play more square passes in our defensive third….
I may be in the minority here but Ceballos has not shown enough yet to justify the king’s ransom Madrid will demand to make his loan move permanent.
Maybe I am judging him too soon but he comes across as lightweight ( watch and observe he always opts for a short corner kick option as he does not have the leg power to drive the ball with zip in the box), one paced and not suited for this league.
I reckon with good scouting, we can recruit a more rounded player for that role in the summer.
I can understand the frustration and anger from the fans on here, and everywhere, because I felt the same watching these rubbish matches so far this season. I just hope it doesnt get worse and extend more to the atmosphere in the stadium, with people actively calling for the manager’s head. It’s just sad so early in the season. I think it’s because of all the hope we have with the best squad we have had in at least a decade on our hands and the questionable decisions from Emery. I for one, will keep the spirit till the last… Read more »
It’s bit early but I am yet to see any reason to keep Caballos. He was great in one game and was average to poor in all other games despite playing almost all games. He can’t play no 10 and he looks a bit light weight for number 8.
I think Arsenal have too many number 8 in likes of Guendouzi, Xhaka and Willock. Caballos hasn’t outshown any of them to warrant a place.
I think so. he’s been extremely useful and frankly one of the better players in midfield. BUT he isn’t full solution either. Some deluded people calling for Willock-Torreira to start PL need to pull their heads out of their arses. Similarly whilst Guendouzi and Cebellos were again called upon to make a difference, we still did not assert enough authority in midfield. I don’t think we have the player to replicate the sort of control Viera or Santi or (all too infrequently) Diaby did for us. So lets see where the season ends. BUT Cebellos has good feet, gambled at… Read more »