Ceballos: “I have to talk with Ancelotti, I want to be relevant”

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos is set to return to the Spanish capital after his two-season loan deal with Arsenal, where he played relevant minutes but still couldn’t reach his full potential. Ceballos knows that he could actually have a chance to stay in Madrid now that coach Zinedine Zidane is gone and talked about his future in an interview with Cadena SER’s El Larguero.

“I think this year I matured as a player and I believe it’s now time for me to settle in a club with a long contract so that I can show my game. Ancelotti just arrived and we have to talk. I haven’t met him, but many players told me good things about him, so I’m sure Madrid will be good for him,” said Ceballos.

The midfielder doesn’t have expectations for the upcoming season just yet.

“It’s clear that first I have to talk with coach Ancelotti and know what he wants from me and tell him what I want, which is to be relevant. I’m not going to the Euro and there’s a World Cup coming soon. We must have an honest chat,” he added.

Ceballos clearly seems to want a role that Real Madrid might not be ready to give him. He could always be a rotational player in the midfield and a valuable asset for Ancelotti, but if he wants to be an undisputed starter in order to make Spain’s list for the 2021 World Cup, he might need to leave Real Madrid and find another club.

Furthermore, Ceballos doesn’t want another loan deal. Given the current financial crisis due to the Covid pandemic, it won’t be easy for Madrid to find a reasonable offer for the midfielder, so the club and the player might need to stay busy all summer long.