Although Arsenal retain a very slim hope of catching Liverpool in the Premier League, their season now predominantly hinges on their Champions League campaign.
Unfortunately, Arsenal will have to face the competition’s holders in two legs once club football returns.
Mikel Arteta’s side are set to face Real Madrid for the first time since 2006 – a Champions League knockout tie that was decided by Thierry Henry’s brilliance.
Fast-forward to today and Arsenal will be attempting to dethrone Carlo Ancelotti’s Galaticos without a striker, a tall task indeed.
That being said, there is a player in Real’s ranks that knows all about life at Arsenal under Arteta, midfielder Dani Ceballos.
Dani Ceballos could come back to haunt Arsenal with Real Madrid
Starting in 2019 under Unai Emery, Ceballos went on to enjoy two loan spells at the Emirates Stadium, ones which arguably helped fuel the success he’s enjoying with Real today.
Ceballos cost Real £16m in 2017 and after leaving Arsenal for good in 2021 he then went on to sign a contract extension with the Spanish giants, and he’ll no doubt play a sizable role in next month’s knockout tie between the two sides.
Ceballos has played eight times for Ancelotti in the Champions League this season, even if he was unfortunately injured for their two legs against Atletico Madrid.
The 28-year-old started both legs against Manchester City in the round prior and he’ll be looking to foil another English club’s chances of winning the competition at the start of April.
Interestingly, Ceballos claimed he wanted to leave Arsenal immediately after joining the club in the past having witnessed the physicality of Premier League football – but he’ll surely now be ready for every inch of next month’s battle.
Mikel Arteta was desperate to bring Dani Ceballos back to Arsenal
It seems fair to conclude that Arteta will definitely have one eye on Ceballos when Arsenal face Real next month.
According to Marca, who shared this info back in 2020 – Arteta was seriously concerned that Arsenal might fumble a deal to bring Ceballos back on loan for a second season.
Therefore, in a bid to secure the Spaniard, Arteta personally intervened and convinced Arsenal’s board to agree to Madrid’s terms for another loan.
Ceballos had just been a key part of Arsenal winning the FA Cup in Arteta’s first season at the club at the time.
But it will now be the midfielder’s job of ending Arsenal’s chances of lifting a trophy for another season, a club who will be determined not to be remembered as ‘nearly men’.
