Radical turnaround in the situation of Ceballos at Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso has asked the club to halt any move that would see the Andalusian footballer leave the club and has spoken to the player to reassure him that he is counting on him for the season and that he will play a key role.
Xabi Alonso needs Ceballos
Xabi Alonso has been emphatic in his request that Dani Ceballos stay at Real Madrid next season. The Basque coach is aware of the team’s problems in midfield and has a difficult puzzle to solve, especially as no reinforcements are arriving, and Ceballos is a key piece in the jigsaw that the coach has to put together.
In the Club World Cup, he already called on Arda Güler to organize the team, but this does not mean that he does not count on the Utrera-born player. While it is true that he did not enjoy many minutes in the World Cup tournament, he understands that, with such a long season, with so many games and so much wear and tear, there will be minutes for everyone, quality minutes, and he believes that Ceballos will be an important player.
Xabi Alonso’s reasons
Xabi Alonso has plenty of reasons to ask for Ceballos to stay, in fact, it seems logical that he should. Not only because of the lack of players in midfield, but also because of the type of player he is. Because Ceballos is a pure midfielder, with characteristics that no one else in the team has. He does not fit the profile of the complete playmaker that the team needs; in fact, he tends to perform better in slightly more attacking positions. But he is capable of playing the ball with good judgment, holding onto it, moving with it, distributing it, and linking up with his teammates.
In addition, he has shown that when there is work to be done, he works hard, fights, and battles for the team as a whole. Xabi Alonso wants associative play, and there are few players in the squad who can play this role. The departure of Luka Modric means that the Andalusian will have to take on his role, which is obviously a big step up, but he hopes that the player will take the same step he took last season, when he became a regular under Ancelotti.
Xabi Alonso against the club
This episode marks the first clash between the club and the coach: Real Madrid were not willing to give away Ceballos, but they were waiting for an offer of around €15-20 million to sell him. They have not liked the fact that in recent years he has always flirted with leaving the club, especially to Betis, the only team to make an offer that did not satisfy Real Madrid. If it had been a good offer, we might now be talking about something else, but that was not the case, and now Xabi Alonso has put his foot down and imposed his criteria.
Xabi Alonso is taking advantage of his last few days off to return to Real Madrid on Monday, but he is not standing still. He is still working, planning for next season, because there is little time before the league starts, and he is aware that he is missing some pieces and cannot afford to lose the ones he already has. Ceballos is needed to fill the midfield gap, and Tolosarra is counting on him, believing he is a player with unique characteristics that can help the team fight for its goals. So the Andalusian will not be leaving the Spanish capital; his departure has been ruled out.