Madrid splashed lavishly in the transfer market, signing the likes of Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono. New head coach Xabi Alonso reportedly demanded a midfielder, too, but the Spanish heavyweights didn’t sign one. As the transfer window approached its end, speculation surrounding Ceballos’ future started to intensify. After rumours of a return to Real Betis, all signs pointed towards Ceballos calling curtains on his Madrid career by writing “Last dance” on his Instagram story. This action was followed by Marseille ramping up their efforts to close a deal to sign the ex-Arsenal loanee. An agreement worth €15 million (£13m/$16m) had been finalised between Marseille and Madrid, but Ceballos’ last-minute change of heart and hesitation to leave Madrid led to the deal collapsing.
In the wake his decision to reject the offer, the 29-year-old personally called Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi over phone and asked for forgiveness, MARCA reports. The Italian coach had gone to great lengths to sign him and had convinced Ceballos that he would be central to his plans at Stade Velodrome. Nevertheless, the Spaniard opted to remain part of Alonso’s team.
“The Dani Ceballos situation stays between us. He is a great player. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and he missed out on playing for a special club,” said De Zerbi on Monday.
With Alonso eventually confirming that Ceballos would remain a part of his roster for this season, expectations were that he would struggle to find regular playing time. Aurelien Tchouameni has already been described as the “pillar” of Madrid by Alonso, Fede Valverde remains a guaranteed starter and Arda Guler has become the team’s chief orchestrator. It became increasingly difficult to see where Ceballos would fit in, but Alonso has given him reason to be optimistic.
Ceballos clockied 68 minutes as a starter against Real Sociedad at the weekend after making three appearances off the bench. Given how congested the calendar is, Ceballos will fancy his chances of carving out an important role in midfield as the season progresses.
Whether he keeps his place in the starting XI for Tuesday’s Champions League clash hinges on whether Valverde is fit enough to start. The Uruguayan was left out of the starting XI after personally requesting a rest from Alonso, citing fatigue from the international break. Ceballos put in a solid performance against Real Sociedad on Saturday and will likely be the obvious choice if Alonso decides to give Valverde another game off.
