Dani Ceballos has revealed the steps he took to force through another loan deal with Arsenal after Real Madrid attempted to stall negotiations in the summer.
Much was expected when Ceballos arrived in the summer of 2019 and apart from a handful of impressive moments he struggled to live up to the hype.
The Spanish midfielder would then suffer a serious hamstring injury and during his time on the treatment table, Mikel Arteta replaced Unai Emery as Arsenal manager.
Once fit, Ceballos was challenged by Arteta to improve and he stepped up to the mark, becoming a regular in the first-team.
Ceballos returned to Madrid at the end of his loan and looked set to be integrated into Zinedine Zidane's plans for the 2020/21 season.
Arteta had made clear his desire to have Ceballos back at Arsenal for another season and two clubs reached another agreement for him to spend the campaign in north London.
And speaking while on international duty with Spain, Ceballos revealed he was told by Madrid to wait a month before sorting his future.
But 24-year-old said he forced through the move to give himself another chance of playing under Arteta.
“After the season I spoke to Jose Angel Sanchez and I told him I’d spoken to Mikel about staying at Arsenal," he said.
"They told me to wait for a month for the team come back and take a decision, but my idea was clear to return to my club where I’d ended well with the boss’s confidence.
“You look at what’s coming next summer, the Euros and Olympics, you need an important role in your team and after the lockdown I found the role I’d been looking for in recent years with Mikel.
"When a player is totally happy, personally and footballistically, you find the right position on and off the pitch. I decided to stay for another year.
“I was totally happy, and I could develop my game in a totally natural way.”
