According to The Athletic, Dani Ceballos is on the verge of returning to Arsenal. The Gunners have reached an agreement with Real Madrid regarding the extension of the loan deal until the summer of 2021. Although Arsenal will not have to pay the loan fee, they will have to pay the full salary of Ceballos, who is expected to arrive in London this week before heading into a two-week quarantine.
Mikel Arteta To Stick With The 3-4-3?
Arsenal have enjoyed immense success by shifting to a 3-4-3 last season. The presence of three defenders have added a lot of solidity during defensive phases, but more importantly, it has allowed the two central midfielders to dictate themselves more openly.
Ceballos and Granit Xhaka were the main protagonists in Arsenal’s midfield revolution last season. They were courageous and very effective in the second line of the press, which combined well with their technical qualities, thus adding another dimension to the club’s approach play.
The return of Ceballos, in that regard, will make the job easier for Mikel Arteta to preserve the 3-4-3 formation for the upcoming season. The Spaniard has a remarkable understanding alongside Xhaka and shouldn’t have any problems in replicating his performances during the backend of the 2019/20 campaign.
What’s Next For Mohamed Elneny?
For a moment, it seemed Mohamed Elneny had a slight chance of finally making into the Arsenal setup under new manager Arteta. He had returned from a positive loan spell at Besiktas and impressed in both the games against MK Dons and Liverpool in the FA Community Shield.
Unfortunately, the imminent return of Ceballos should be enough to squash his hopes of making a breakthrough in this new season.
However, it won’t be surprising to see the Egyptian international remaining a part of the Arsenal side. With Matteo Guendouzi tipped to leave Emirates after falling out with the coaching staff, Arteta is already shallow in the midfield department, and the presence of an industrious and capable Elneny should be a useful prospect for the manager.
Should We Expect More Signings?
Arsenal have appeared quite busy this week in the transfer market. They released Henrikh Mkhitaryan to AS Roma, which was shortly followed by the announcement of Gabriel Magalhaes. Now, it seems Ceballos is on the verge of becoming Arteta’s latest acquisition.
He certainly isn’t the last one, however. The Gunners still have a lot of business to do, especially in the right wing-back slot, with Hector Bellerin facing an uncertain future at the club. They might even need another midfielder to help Arteta deal with any potential injury crisis.
Not to mention, a bunch of Arsenal stars have still been linked with a move away from Emirates, which should give the club the financial boost they need to bring in more players at the club in this summer transfer window.
