Spain Under-21 international starlet Dani Ceballos is already eyeing the Real Madrid exit door as he seeks regular first-team football.
The midfielder only moved to Spanish champions Madrid in the summer but has grown frustrated at his lack of game time under boss Zinedine Zidane. Ceballos’ desire to exit Bernabeu has reportedly alerted a lot of clubs, with Arsenal and Spurs also joining the race, as per Italian news outlet Calciomercato.
Having joined from Real Betis during the summer, Ceballos knew he will find first-team opportunities hard to come by. Yet, he chose Madrid over Barcelona as it’s tough to turn down the Los Blancos when they come for you.
The Spanish midfielder has played just 406 minutes of football this season, featuring in only 11 of Real’s 23 games. In those 11 games, Ceballos has started just four of them and only two have come in La Liga. Despite Madrid struggling and their midfielders underperforming, Zidane has continued to overlook Ceballos. They trail bitter rivals Barcelona by 8 points after 14 games.
It is believed Zidane never wanted Ceballos in the first place but agreed to sign him after club President Florentino Perez described his vision for more home-grown players in the side. The 21-year-old midfielder is said to have grown tired of not getting much game time and could also return to his hometown club on loan for the remainder of the campaign in January.
Ceballos is a talented player and is more than capable of contributing to the current dreary Madrid side. The team lacks energy and enthusiasm, which the midfielder can provide if given chances at a premium rate. But, it looks like Ceballos has already given up the hope of winning Zidane’s trust and wants his way out of Santiago Bernabeu.
With the ex-Betis man on the verge of leaving, it will be interesting to see how many clubs are eager to add the midfielder to their ranks. Given his high work-rate, I feel he will suit our style of play. Spurs have looked dull in the midfield for the last few games; so signing Ceballos, even on a short-term deal, would lift our half-dead spirits.
Trust me, we have been out of sorts in November and it is hard to believe so because such was our form before the loss against Arsenal. We haven’t won any of their last four games and are now at 6th place in the table.
If presented a chance to sign Ceballos in January, get him Poch! The Spaniard could add some much-needed bite and solidity to our spine and would boost our top four hopes.
