BEVERLY HILLS, May 22, (THEWILL) – After a second loan spell at the English Premier League north London club, Arsenal, Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos is set to exit the Gunners and return to La Liga at the end of the season, where he is most likely to be offered for a permanent transfer this summer to a willing club.
Ceballos was not able to replicate the undeniable success of his first loan spell at the Emirates, which was the basis Arsenal tried for a second time. His more subdued second season left the Gunners less inclined to get the 24-year-old on a permanent basis.
In addition, Mikel Arteta’s team trimming continues after the Spaniard removed the likes of Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and others from the payroll of the club as Arsenal tries to manage its finances, while staying competitive in England and across the continent.
As a result, the Premier League side is unlikely to spend huge money in the summer and knocking off a loanee like Ceballos will help to reduce the wage bill. Fortunately, Arteta was able to get the best out of the Spaniard in their first season together, with the midfielder helping the Gunners to lift the FA Cup at the end of that tough campaign.
This time, Ceballos was simply not the same player with a considerable dip in form, which will leave him a stranded player when he returns to Real. Should Zinedine Zidane remain for another another season, there is the likelihood he might be out for a permanent move.
Like Arsenal, Los Blancos are also in need of shifting some big names off their wage bill. Ceballos will be a prime candidate to get off their books because, if he was not good enough for Arsenal, it will be proof that Zidane was right sidelining him in the first place.
Ceballos barely featured for Madrid since moving to the capital in 2017 and does not appear to be in Zidane’s plans heading into the summer transfer window, if Zidane remains in charge of Real for the next season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
