Ceballos 'hasn't done enough' to secure permanent Arsenal move

A Gunners legend remains unimpressed with the Spanish midfielder’s contributions on the pitch in his second season at the Emirates.

Arsenal should send Dani Ceballos back to Real Madrid after his loan spell ends at the end of the season, suggests Kevin Campbell.

The Gunners re-signed Ceballos on a season-long loan deal after he impressed with a string of top displays towards the end of 2019-20 while being a key figure in the team’s FA Cup success.

He has remained a regular presence in the middle of the park in Mikel Arteta’s line-up this season, but the 24-year-old has been not quite lived up to the expectations he had set during his initial temporary stint.

Ceballos has a single goal contribution after appearing in 13 of Arsenal’s 15 Premier League games so far in this campaign.

“I do not think he has done enough to justify a permanent move,” Campbell told Football Insider of the Real Madrid loanee.

“At the back end of last season he was playing really well and when Arsenal went back in for him I thought he was really going to kick on but everything has come crashing down at the same time.

“The team’s performances haven’t been good and his performances haven’t either. At times he has looked OK when he has come on but the team has not been good enough in the centre of the park this season.

“We need people with legs in there, it is not just about being good on the ball. You have to close down and dominate your opponent and he does not do that enough.”