Arsenal have officially announced the arrival of their second summer signing Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid for the upcoming season.
Ceballos, 22, joins off the back of a successful summer, having aided Spain’s Under 21s to the European Championships where he was named in the Team of the Tournament – he was named Player of the Tournament in the previous edition in 2017.
The Spaniard will take on Arsenal’s number 8 shirt, which was vacated in the summer by Aaron Ramsey following the Welshman’s move to Italian champions Juventus.
Ceballos will also be expected to emulate the performances of Ramsey, with the pair being similar midfielders and Arsenal manager Unai Emery viewing the former Real Betis youth prospect as the Gunners’ short team replacement for him.
No details have emerged over the potential for a permanent transfer following this loan spell, with the expectation that Madrid will wish to retain the player after his time in North London and have only sent him to gain match experience.
Ceballos' career to date
Having started his career with Betis, Madrid signed Ceballos for a reported €18m in 2017 and has since made 56 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish giants, scoring five goals.
His most impressive form has come at international youth level, in 2015 he was part of the Spain squad that won the Under 19s European Championships and was a losing finalist in the 2017 Under 21 Euros before going one better this summer, scoring two goals in the group stages, in the defeat to hosts Italy and the 5-0 victory over Poland.
He can also boast a senior international goal, scoring in the 3-2 defeat to Croatia in the inaugural UEFA Nations League.
A slight, technical midfielder, he’s not a physical presence that will dominate midfield but as seen by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla, David Silva and Juan Mata, technical Spanish midfielders can have a huge influence in the Premier League and Arsenal will be hoping he can emulate those four who have come before him.