Dani Ceballos asked not to be transferred to Arsenal permanently when the sides were negotiating in the summer and Marca today reports there were two reasons for that.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 04: Dani Ceballos of Arsenal looks on during the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 04: Dani Ceballos of Arsenal looks on during the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Dani Ceballos arrived in London with a point to prove. Discarded by Zinedine Zidane despite being a favourite of the Real Madrid hierarchy, he wants to show that he is good enough to play regularly for a club like the La Liga giants.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, while they will benefit for the rest of the season from that desire, they will ultimately lose out when the player returns to Spain.

In Ceballos’s loan agreement there is no option to buy, let alone an obligation. If Arsenal want to buy Ceballos on a permanent basis they will have to convince Real Madrid to sell a player they believe could generate their biggest profit margin ever by stumping up a ‘stratospheric offer’. They’ll also have to convince the player to stay in London.

As the deal was being negotiated Arsenal tried to sign Ceballos on a permanent basis, writes Marca, something Zidane was open to. The player, however, had two reasons why he did not want to do a deal in the summer.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Dani Ceballos of Arsenal is closed down by Ashley Westwood of Burnley during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Burnley FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Dani Ceballos of Arsenal is closed down by Ashley Westwood of Burnley during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Burnley FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Firstly, there seems to be a dispute with his agent and he did not want to undertake a move that would have seen them benefit financially.

Secondly, and this is the killer for Arsenal, he ‘has the conviction’ that he can make it at Real Madrid and become a key first-team player, a claim Marca’s rivals, AS also report.

A lot, however, seems to hinge on Zinedine Zidane as manager.

Should he remain, Arsenal might have a chance of convincing Ceballos to stay with the club, even just for a couple more seasons. “There was never trust between the two,” writes Marca, who also explain it was Zidane who pushed Ceballos out on loan and only Zidane.

Dani Ceballos (R) of Spain vies for the ball with Romania's midfielder Ciprian Deac (L) during the Euro 2020 football qualification match between Romania and Spain in Bucharest, Romania, on September 5, 2019. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP)
Dani Ceballos (R) of Spain vies for the ball with Romania’s midfielder Ciprian Deac (L) during the Euro 2020 football qualification match between Romania and Spain in Bucharest, Romania, on September 5, 2019. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP)

Ceballos’s stellar performance for Spain this week has only served to harden the resolve of officials at Real Madrid to bring Ceballos back into the fold net season. Some even think Zidane could apologise to him as he did recently with Gareth Bale.

Has Ceballos done anything to move Zidane, however? Or will Real Madrid look to move him? Will his time at Arsenal do anything to change Ceballos’s mind on where his future lies?

Answers on a postcard to…