Arsenal loanee Dani Ceballos has confessed it is unlikely he will stay at the Emirates Stadium next year as he is keen to make a return to his preferred destination of La Liga, which suits his style more.
The Spaniard joined on loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 and did enough to convince Arsenal to bring him back for the 2020/21 season, but a combination of injuries and poor form has meant he has not hit the heights expected of him.
Billed as the answer to Arsenal's creativity struggles when he initially arrived, Ceballos has bagged just two goals and five assists in 74 appearances for the club, and it seems as though the 24-year-old is ready to call time on his career in England.
"I've had a bad time because I didn't have the consistency I had last year," Ceballos told Onda Cero. "These last 5 or 6 games I've played at a good level.
"To be honest I like La Liga a lot more. The Premier League is more complete but with my style, La Liga is much better for me.
"Another loan would be difficult from both sides, for Real Madrid and for me."
Ceballos went on to confess that he would be keen on a return to Real Betis, but the most important thing for him is settling down at a club for the first time in years.
"I'm about to turn 25 in August and I have to settle at a club where I feel important, that's what I'll look for," he added. "I have a lot of affection for Betis, I'm a Betis fan, I watch every Betis game, [Manuel] Pellegrini is a really good coach who I like."
While Ceballos has been solid in recent weeks, it's hard to see Arsenal fans getting too upset at this one. The Spaniard has not hit the heights expected of him and is not a permanent fixture in the starting lineup as a result.
Fellow Real man Martin Odegaard has teamed up with Emile Smith Rowe to dominate minutes in attacking midfield, while a lot of Ceballos' recent minutes have only come because Granit Xhaka has been needed to fill in as an emergency left-back.
The Gunners are expected to look for a new central midfielder this summer as well. Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt and Betis' Nabil Fekir have been linked recently, while Sevilla's Joan Jordan and Brighton's Yves Bissouma are also on the radar.
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Source : 90min