When the times were trying and Real Madrid desperately needed a goal against Benfica to stay alive in the top-8 race last night, Alvaro Arbeloa identified the creativity in midfield to be a department that needed immediate change.
In that complicated and high-pressure situation, the manager opted to call on the academy talent Jorge Cestero and Brahim Diaz to add firepower and attacking intent to the team’s buildup.
Once again ignored and left on the bench was Dani Ceballos, who with every passing day grows clearer that his future is not at Real Madrid.
Defensa Central provides a clearer update on his situation and Arbeloa’s lack of trust in his profile.
Out of the manager’s plans
As confirmed by the Spanish outlet, Arbeloa does not count on Ceballos and does not even see the player as valuable as a substitute in the current scheme of things.
The player’s profile, for some reason, does not appeal to the manager and all signs point to his situation persisting as is until the end of the season. He has no choice but to begin thinking of next season and his future.
Dani Ceballos of Real Madrid
Not in Arbeloa’s plans. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Ceballos was close to leaving Real Madrid in the summer and joining Marseille, but the player rejected the move at the last moment and pushed to stay at the club after seeing Xabi Alonso hand him some prominence.
With the former manager sacked and the new coach not trusting him, the player will be pushed to look for a new club.
He will not leave in the winter transfer window and will continue to fight for a spot, but a departure in the summer looks likely.
His contract with Real Madrid runs until 2027, and if Arbeloa is to stay in charge, Ceballos must choose between spending another year on the bench and leaving as a free agent, or leaving in the summer and possibly signing for a new club on lower wages.
Notably, however, Arbeloa’s continuity beyond the summer in itself is uncertain, and a lot of factors are thus involved in the saga of Ceballos’ future.