Nigel Winterburn: What I think of Dani Ceballos at Arsenal
Nigel Winterburn reveals his delight at seeing Arsenal complete a loan move to sign Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid
Nigel Winterburn has revealed his delight at seeing Arsenal completing a loan move to sign Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid this summer.
The Gunners completed a deal to bring the Spaniard to The Emirates on a temporary basis in the summer as Unai Emery attempted to bolster his midfield options following the departure of Aaron Ramsey to Juventus on a free transfer.
Ceballos will be aiming to hold down a regular spot in the Arsenal team this season as the Gunners target a top-four finish in Emery’s second campaign in charge of the club.
Former Arsenal defender Winterburn was pleased to see the north London side address the issue of Ramsey’s departure.
Speaking in an interview with Sporting Bet, Winterburn said: “Dani Ceballos is a great signing for Arsenal and will help fill the void left by Ramsey.
“The fact that a club like Real Madrid didn’t want to lose him on a permanent transfer is evidence of the player that Arsenal have on their hands. Arsenal need to keep the ball better in midfield and Ceballos is just the player to do that.
“He is so comfortable with the ball, he will spring passes forward just a little bit quicker instead of pushing the ball from side to side, and he’ll add another dimension to Arsenal’s game.
“Arsenal now have some strong options for the number 10 position, when everyone is fit, Emery is going to have a real selection headache.
“Young Joe Willock was Arsenal’s stand-out performer in pre-season and together with Reiss Nelson, they will be challenging the likes Ozil, Ceballos and Mkhitaryan for a starting position. It’s a good problem for Emery to have.”
Arsenal were very busy in the summer transfer window as they completed deals for William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Martinelli, David Luiz and Nicolas Pepe as well as Ceballos.
The north London side will have their sights firmly set on securing qualification for next season’s Champions League as they aim to break back into the top four this term.
The Gunners will travel to Liverpool FC in their next Premier League game on Saturday 24 August.
