Do Dani Ceballos’ statistics warrant a permanent Arsenal signing? Despite the praise from fans and pundits, the numbers over the long-term do not back a permanent move for the on-loan man.
Arsenal defeated Everton in the Premier League on Sunday coming from behind to claim the victory 3-2. Following the win, Gunners on-loan midfielder Dani Ceballos was singled out for his play fan fans on Twitter. The praise for Ceballos hasn’t just been from supporters as former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves compared the Arsenal man to former club legend Cesc Fabregas.
Ceballos’ good form has been recent as previous games saw the Real Madrid-owned player go anonymous more than once. At times, Ceballos failed to get up to the pace of play in the Premier League with the game bypassing him.
Now, with Ceballos gaining momentum, the question is, do the midfielder’s statistics warrant a permanent transfer to Arsenal?
Dani Ceballos’ statistics at the Emirates
Ceballos is valued at £36 million according to Transfermarkt. It is unlikely that he will have a future playing at Real Madrid, who were all too happy to agree to the loan move last summer. When the loan deal was struck, Ceballos could have agreed on a permanent transfer clause to be added to the deal. He opted not to include such a clause in the contract meaning a return to Real Madrid, momentarily, is on the cards.
https://twitter.com/JamesJulu/status/1231656826938281992
According to Bleacher Report, Ceballos’ contract at Real Madrid is for six years. Signed in 2017, Los Blancos rarely used the player who they signed from Real Betis.
Ceballos’ Sunday versus Everton was good as he tallied an 87% pass success rate and completed two tackles. He was deployed as one of two holding midfielders in Mikel Arteta’s 4-3-2-1. Ceballos’ stats dipped from there despite the praise he received from fans. He had one off-target shot, completed zero dribbles, and zero key passes.
The midfielder has appeared in 13 Premier League matches with nine of those being starts. In 822 minutes of league play, Ceballos has tallied zero goals and two assists. He averages 1.1 key passes, 1.2 dribbles, and 0.8 shots per game in the Premier League, according to WhoScore.com.
Should Arsenal sign Dani Ceballos?
Just a month ago, Ceballos looked to have no future at the Emirates. He wasn’t playing and according to AS, wanted to leave Arsenal to improve his chances of making the Spain Euro 2020 team. With just three assists in all competitions and a low average of key passes, Ceballos isn’t fulfilling expectations as a midfielder.
Arteta should really be given credit for the performances and development he’s gotten out of young players as Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah, Guendouzi, and even Dani Ceballos to some extent.
— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) February 23, 2020
Mesut Ozil’s inclusion in the Arsenal team means he is the team’s creative hub. It forces Ceballos to play deeper in Arsenal’s midfield and less likely to make defence cutting passes in the final third.
Dani Ceballos’ two assists for Arsenal came in August in Arsenal’s second game of the season versus Burnley. The on-loan midfielder doesn’t warrant a transfer in the summer unless improved statistics are tallied in the waning months of the Premier League season at the Emirates.