Former Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos has opened up on his time in England and affirmed his desire to stay at Real Madrid.
Ceballos, 24, spent two seasons at the Emirates and made 77 appearances under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
The playmaker will represent Spain at the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this month but wants to return to the Santiago Bernabeu and become a regular fixture of new manager Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Having paid Real Betis £14.85 million for his services in 2017, Ceballos struggled as a Madridista during his two tumultuous terms but made a lightning start to his Arsenal career with two assists in a win over Burnley on his Gunners debut.
He will now be hoping to impress Ancelotti, who reportedly wanted the Spaniard while in charge of Napoli.
Ahead of competing in Japan, Ceballos spoke about his time in north London after making clear his desire to remain with Los Blancos.
"I really want to win at Real Madrid, I’ll fight to stay here," he told Spanish outlet Diario AS.
"The experience with Arsenal in the Premier League made me stronger, now it’s time to win at Real Madrid."
Ceballos affirmed: "It’s clear, I would like to play at Real Madrid.
"But I have to know what the coach wants and there have to be objectives.
"But my intention is to play the coming year at Real Madrid."
Regarding his new boss, who abruptly left Everton at the end of the campaign to return to Madrid for a second spell, the versatile midfielder is confident he can slot into the starting XI thanks to his positional flexibility - but must sit down with the Italian first.
"With the arrival of Ancelotti, the span of a midfielder is wide, because he plays 4-3-3 and, at times with one of the wingers coming inside.
"It is going to depend on my return, of the state of form I am in and the chat that we have pending," he admitted.
"From there, I want to be of the rest of the options, because what I am very clear about is I want to play and I have to earn it on the pitch to make it difficult for the coach."
Arsenal fans, are you sad to see Ceballos go? Comment your feelings on his departure below.
On his two years in England, Ceballos was asked for his favourite and least favourite aspect of the stay.
The 24-year-old revealed: "I’m starting with the worst... The remoteness and how difficult it is to enjoy your family on a day-to-day basis, something that is very important to me."
However, he evidently enjoyed the relentlessness of the hectic Premier League schedule.
"The best is the football that is breathed in England," he said.
"The stadiums are full, the fans respect you ... Matches are played every few days and the stands are always full -when you could go to the fields, of course.
"That is essential for someone who likes soccer."
Reflecting on his time as an Arsenal player, Ceballos believes he is a better all-rounder than before, even hinting at a possible return to the Gunners or a top-flight rival.
"On a personal and football level, I would say that I am a much more complete player, with more character," he stated.
"I have had the opportunity to experience a different league and that has given me many more records when it comes to watching football."
"Yes, I do not rule it [returning to the Premier League] out.
"It's a league that I like, people who really like football would be motivated to play it," explained the ex-Betis man.
"If you don't get to play there you can get stuck."
Spain under-23s face Egypt, Australia and Argentina in their Olympic group and are backed as one of the favourites.
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