The Spaniard is in line to make his Gunners bow against Newcastle United on Sunday, and he has already made a good impression on his new manager
Unai Emery says new signing Dani Ceballos has impressed him with his mental fortitude during his first couple of weeks at Arsenal.
The 23-year-old has been brought in on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, bringing a touch of class back to the Gunners’ midfield after the departure of Aaron Ramsey to Juventus.
Ceballos could be in line for a first competitive start against Newcastle on Sunday, and Emery is clearly looking forward to seeing the new man in action.
“Ceballos’ mind is very strong,” Emery said.
“His mentality. Last Sunday, when he received a big kick on his ankle I thought ‘oh, it’s broken’.
“But after, on Monday, he was training – (he said) ‘I’m fine and want to train’. He is showing us every day his ambition, his hunger is big. I think we need players like this.”
The Spain international, who has six caps for his country’s senior team, has been spoken about for some time as one of Spanish football’s leading young prospects.
He made 56 appearances for Real Madrid across the last two seasons, but struggled to assert himself as a first-team fixture at the Bernabeu with the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ceballos arrived at the Emirates at the beginning of what proved to be a hugely productive summer transfer window, with the Gunners strengthening their squad more than most fans would have expected.
Nicolas Pepe was brought in for a club-record fee, Kieran Tierney was finally lured in on deadline day, William Saliba scheduled his arrival for next year and David Luiz came in as a surprising last-minute addition.
“We are very happy and we are delighted with what the club did (in the transfer window),” Emery added.
“[Head of football] Raul Sanllehi and [director of football] Edu were working together to find the best solutions, being competitive in the moment we can sign another player and also using the club to support us economically to do that.
“And now we are going to fight strong with a big responsibility with this squad and after that we want to continue doing well.”
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