Dani Ceballos has revealed that chats with Unai Emery and close pal Hector Bellerin convinced him to join Arsenal despite interest from other clubs, including Sp*rs.
It was confirmed this afternoon that the Spain international, 22, will spend the season on loan at the Emirates as he looks to help us get back into the Champions League.
Unlike the signing of Denis Suarez in January, there seems to be consensus both inside and outside the club that we’ve bagged ourselves a very decent player.
He’ll look to fill the void left by Aaron Ramsey and will be motivated to deliver the goods with a view to getting into his country’s squad for Euro 2020 next summer.
“I’m really proud to be able to wear this shirt,” he told Arsenal.com. “I’m joining an historic Premier League side and it’s a step forward in my career.
“I knew I had the confidence of the coach, which was very important for me from the start. I was aware of the responsibility that wearing this shirt entails and it was a tremendously proud moment when I decided to join Arsenal.
“The coach was the turning point in terms of me joining this massive club. He’s a Spanish coach and he knows me from my time at other clubs. I’m really happy to be able to help Arsenal achieve our objectives.”
Can't wait for the link up ? Bienvenido hermano! @DaniCeballos46 pic.twitter.com/gFp8u0arCH
— Héctor Bellerín (@HectorBellerin) July 25, 2019
Ceballos and Bellerin were teammates at under-21 level and the new boy couldn’t help but namecheck his friend, who it turns out sold him the London dream.
“I get on really well with Hector away from football, on a personal level. I told him I was thinking of joining and he told me not to think twice because this is a great city and a great club and that I was going to have a great time. I can’t wait to see him and say thanks for his help in getting me here.”
The midfielder is also confident he’ll adapt to life in England and the rigours of the Premier League in double-quick time.
“Yes, I have the coach – who is Spanish – and Hector, which will help me get used to life in London,” he said.
“I need to get used to what the club expects of me and adapt as quickly as possible because that will be vital if I’m to be successful at this club.”
It’s expected that Ceballos will take part in first team training tomorrow and could make a cameo appearance on Sunday against Lyon.
It’s worth bearing in mind, that he’s a bit behind in his pre-season preparations as he was on international duty at the under-21 European Championships until 20 June.
Captain Hector at the ready!
I wonder if there’s a purchase agreement on the loan.
Best of luck Dani!
Apparently, and unfortunately, there is not.
Doesn’t mean we can’t buy him, just means it’s a new negotiation and likely a much higher fee — but the player’s desire to stay here could be a huge bargaining chip.
No option to buy. He wants to return to Spain at the end of the loan. Even if there was an option, it’s highly unlikely we could find the money that Madrid would want for him. Still, let’s hope he’s a success while he’s with us.
If by some miracle we get back in the top 4, and he does well for us, I see no reason he might stay and we can afford him. No but option is good for real, his value will rise this season if he does well, hopefully we might have got a first refusal clause. Zidane obviously doesn’t fancy him, he’s obviously good friends with Bellerin, so a deal could be done. To be honest though, let’s see how he does, Premier league is tough, we’ve had a lot of decent players over the years that couldn’t adapt/handle it. 4… Read more »
Apparently Danny Rose hoping his name would help gave him a call only to hear thunderous laughter in the back ground afew seconds phoneline went dead
Epic comment!
Rose: ‘Can we just speak Danny to Dani for a second?’
*click*
Good one man!! ???
I could almost cross the border and high five you!!
Welcome Dani!
LC and CB next!
For once I think this is a win-win situation. My hope is that he fits really well at Arsenal, Madrid gets Pogba and we have a chance of signing him on a permanent basis.
A man can only dream.
If he’s a success and Madrid sign Pogba I wonder what they’d want for him? I suggest a tad more than we could find – even if we looked in all the drawers at The Emirates. It ain’t going to happen … but it doesn’t cost anything to dream.
Dani doesn’t like Zidane apperently. And Real may need to raise money to fund Pogba or whatever Galactico they will buy next year. So there is still hope if it turns out that he is really good for us.
Yes, but if Ceballos has a very good season with us (which many expect) and Real Madrid do sign Pogba (who’ll cost a fortune), do you think that President Perez – and ultimately it’s him not Zidane that makes the decisions at Madrid as many coaches there have found, will let us have Ceballos for anything like a “reasonable” fee, read: one we can actually afford? Or is it more likely that the great wheeler-dealer will flog him to another club – and there will certainly be a few if he’s done well for us – at a high price… Read more »
Before I enjoy a piping hot plate of chips, I too, like to piss all over them.
Jesus man just give it a rest and enjoy the kid while he’s here. If we get CL with him, it might well fund his, and many other transfers.
Easy anagram is Cebollas. Hope he proves to be onion in the nose of opposition players.
Booooohhh.
As in you hope he stinks up the place?
??
Dani Onions – kind of catchy.
Yes it seems too good to be true, especially the synchronicity with another target, Everton Soares who is known as ‘Little Onion’. Unfortunately, onion in Spanish is ‘cebollas’, not Ceballos.
Good ebening Dani!
Agent Bellerin,
Fine work, Hector.
Your next assignment is to make sure that Ceballos not only thrives in north London but becomes desperate to stay, so much so he can convince the Madrid staff that they should sanction a cut-price deal to allow him to follow his ‘dream’.
Petty cash can be accessed if gaffa tape/rope/Enya casettes are required as ‘persuasive techniques’.
End of transmission.
(This message will self-destruct if it’s asked how to offload some of our underperforming high wage earners)
Lol!!! How do you come up with this!!
Solitude and boredom mainly haha ?
Enya. FFS. Havent heard that name in 20 years. sail away sail away sail awa a a ay.
Agent B, should you choose to accept…
This is very good news. But it shouldn’t disguise what the ownership and management of the club have done: get a promising, young player on loan to replace an established star at his peak, who left on a free.
True, but that’s where we are financially. Given the fortune that’s being wasted on the wages of the likes of say, Ozil and Mustafi (around £500,000 a week between them – staggering), we couldn’t afford £200,000 a week for Ramsey. The departure of Ramsey and a few others at the end of last season will help, but we’ve not seen the last of the wage bill trimming yet.
Feeling pretty chuffed about this ?
Don’t understand the hype about him. Played a junior tournament in the summer and was part of the Real B team (without especially shining) and he ll leave us at the end of the season. Hope he smashes it and makes me shut up, then falls in love with London and Arsenal fans and finally becomes a Gunner’s legend. In the meantime it is a MEH !
Don’t know how much you watched of that tournament, but he was an integral part of a very impressive young Spanish team. Lots of skill and energy. Whether he can do it in the Prem is an open question of course, but that’s the case for anyone coming from outside, especially Kieran Tierney.
13 starts and 10 substitute appearances for Real in La Liga seems rather a lot for a player who was part of the B team, doesn’t it?
Welcome DC! ??
LB and a CB next, I hope it’s in the works!
Sounds like someone whom if gets a good season with us would be open to a permanent deal. Talks like he does fancy the club and could love the city! Here’s to hoping.
Well it’s a start, hopefully a few more joining us because we need a lot more than a midfielder on loan.
So let me get this straight – we have signed this chap with no option to buy meaning that unless he is the difference between 4th place and mid table (he won’t be – we have no defence), we are developing a Real Madrid prospect, paying his wages and costing an academy player a place in the process with no long term advantage for us. I don’t see the upside.
That is a good summary.
Well if he does well and bring us to Champion League then we will have the funds to buy him.
Absolutely! But he is Spanish like uncles Raul and Unai, soon it’s the Euro…
It’s only 4M, for a talent the market wouldn’t let us get for less than 30 – at least- I reckon.
With our other needs being major priorities – CB, Winger, LB – This on paper looks a good option considering our financial situation.
Exactly. I actually see the logic from management in this case. There are many holes to fill, and this allows them to focus on filling other ones with permanent signings. While it would be sad to lose Ceballos next summer if he’s done well for us, one way or another we will have more money (maybe a lot more, if he helps get us Champions League football) and can use that on a midfielder of high quality. Also, the midfield is still short on numbers, even with Ceballos, especially if they sell Elneny. So I see no reason why Willock… Read more »
The upside is that he *may* fill a role left open by Ramsey. Whether or not he does so, and in a way that could not have been done by an academy player remains to be seen. I don’t know what wages he’s on, but in a squad that sorely lacks depth, and in a club without transfer funds, this is not a bad move. I do hope that no matter what, Emery will give minutes to the young gunners (and I don’t just mean in the 80th minute when we’re 3-0 down )– Nketiah, Willock, etc.
He’s got a beautiful uvula.
Thinking the same, sadly hell be out for 3 months now with the removal, infection and recovery
He will be a massive success at arsenal.
Arsenal has always had a Spanish technically sound midfielder who would dictate the play. Fabregas, Arteta and Cazorla. We lacked such players and results as well as quality of play suffered.
You forgot Suarez…
He was never100% fit physically
Poisonous Alex strikes again
I haven’t seen him play.
Can be play as the deep lying playmaker???
Anyone?
No, he’s more of a dynamic box-to-box CM or a creative number 10 that isn’t afraid to make things happen. He’s very much like Ramsey, except where Ceballos is a little tidier and quicker on the ball, he’s arguably less decisive in games than Ramsey was, but it’s early days for him. He has the potential to be top drawer, and if he can avoid the same injuries that hassled poor Ramsey then there’s a chance he can reach the same level quicker, amd possibly even exceed it.
Hope this helps ?
*Also, probably less effective in tackles than Ramsey was, certainly seemed that way in La Liga. But maybe the PL will bring a tougher side out of him…?
Thankyou
I was wondering if Cabellos and Ozil could play together
Don’t think so
It’s possible, but it’d mean an awful lot of defensive work for the his CM partner (Torreira/Guendouzi etc). If we emulated the Wales Xmas tree formation from not so long ago I think both Ceballos and Ozil could play alonside each other as attacking midfielders behind Lacazette/Aubameyang. Potentially they could dazzle together, but we don’t really have the right squad to create a team where they could play alongside each other in that role. If Chambers or Bielik can fill the DM role adequately and allow Torreira the freedom he deserves then he’d be our best bet at a deep-lying… Read more »
Oh, and based on our club’s current speculation I’d say this formation/line up (when fit) could be great to watch:
GK: Leno
DEF: Bellerin, Sokratis, Holding, Tierney
CM: Torreira, Chambers/Bielik/Xhaka/Guendouzi/Willock (who ever is willing to do the leg work)
Wing/AM: Aubameyang (with freedom to join Laca up top), Ceballos, Everton or Zaha(?),
ST: Lacazette
Super
I myself would tweak a bit though
Leno
Bellerin, (newtall strong pacy CB), Holding, Tierney
Toreiera,Cabellos
Auba , Ozil,Zaha
Laca
This team should get us a top4 finish
Ozil doesn’t run back…so Zaha and auba to compensate
The other problem would be the height of the team
Still, terrific in attack and good in possession should see us through
2018/19 Tackles & Interceptions per game (league only)
Ramsey 1.2 & 0.3
Ceballos 1.4 & 0.7
Considering how good a season Ramsey had, and the fact Ceballos is so much younger, that’s a good sign I think.
I stand corrected! I’ve watched him play quite a bit and I’d never have even realised this (thanks kaius!), though to be fair it’s a slightly less physical league in Spain so it may be a tad easier to get better stats in that department there – but I may just be saying that so I seem less wrong ?
Yeah I was surprised as well. Read today that he was “defensively tenacious” and that wasn’t the impression I had from watching him. But the young Spanish guys like him and Fabian Ruiz are deceptively good players
I wish him all the best but another midfielder while the defense screams FIX ME!!
Ok, on the one hand I get the worry that it’s just a loan with a loan fee and we are basically developing a player for Real with no option to buy. On the other hand: 1. Given our financial sitution, this is the best we can do. 2. The guy was really highly rated at Betis, earned him a move to Real, played some good games there as a back-up, was superb at the U-21 euros this summer, is getting to his prime and seems hugely motivated, so he looks like someone that could really help us at getting… Read more »
That uvula will haunt me for life.
The deal’s not official until you’re looking directly at their uvula.
There’s always the soft power effect. We saw that with Ozil(wenger using Per to soften up the approach). Remember there would have been many clubs in for Ozil’s signature. We saw it with Santi too. Hopefully, Raul can use his own football relations influence on his old club and get us Umtiti. Or Edu with Everton. We also snubbed Overmars (our ally) at Ajax inexplicably when offered Ziyech at 22m. We could have been very creative with them, offered Mavropanos on loan (being that they lost De Ligt to Juventus) and kept price down on the winger. I think currently… Read more »