Dani Ceballos thinks Alexandre Lacazette is the best player of the Arsenal squad, though he admits all of the front three are real difference-makers.
Speaking to The Guardian over the international break, Ceballos discussed how he’s settling in with his new club, after joining on loan from Real Madrid this summer.
The midfielder has already had a few good appearances, with a man of the match performance against Burnley and two positive cameos against Spurs and Newcastle, but he also had a tougher time against Liverpool.
Asked about the gap between Liverpool and Arsenal right now, Ceballos admitted the Gunners are at the start of a process at the moment, but he expects their quality to show over the next few years.
“We can’t compare it at the moment,” Ceballos began. “We’re working on some similar things but Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool in 2015.
“Unai came last season. Arsenal finished a point short of the Champions League and a small step from winning the Europa League; his arrival will be positive. In a few years, Arsenal will be in the top 10 teams globally, competing for everything.”
In terms of individuals, it was no surprise to see Ceballos highlighting Arsenal’s attacking trio in Aubameyang, Pepe and Lacazette. The Spaniard believes Lacazette is the best of the three when he’s at 100% though.
“We’ve got a very good, compact side and the three up front really make the difference,” the 23-year-old midfielder continued.
“You can compare [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang to Cristiano [Ronaldo] when he was at Madrid in the sense that he plays close to the goal he lives for scoring. He’s very important for us, fundamental.
“[Nicolas] Pépé is very direct. And [Alexandre] Lacazette, for me, is the best player: he understands the game perfectly and, if he’s 100%, he’s going to give us so much.”
Ceballos generally sounded very positive about Arsenal in the interview, talking about his love for London, the Premier League, and the club so far. He seemed particularly happy with the way the fans have treated him, already singing him songs so early on.
If Arsenal’s talented attacking trio can fire the team up into the Champions League places and everyone keeps making Ceballos feel at home in London, perhaps he’ll consider staying for longer than just the season.