Dani Ceballos says he chose Arsenal over Liverpool because of Unai Emery.
The Spanish international joined the Gunners on loan from Real Madrid last summer and has so far made 18 appearances for them so far, scoring a goal against Standard Liege while providing two assists against Burnley.
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Ceballos said that Liverpool were interested in him but he chose Arsenal because of Emery. Speaking to Marca, the Spaniard said: “I was proud to have a club like Liverpool after me, but I chose Arsenal because of Unai Emery and how he was with me. Right now, I wouldn’t fit in at Liverpool very well. Unai was key to me being at Arsenal. I went to play at a club like Arsenal because, apart from the fact that it’s a massive club, Unai practically came to my house to tell me that he loved me as a player, that he’s been in love with me since I played for Betis…”
“The confidence of a coach is key to giving your best performance. Unai told me that I would be important with him at Arsenal and I didn’t have any doubts about going there. Klopp is a great coach but you have to look at the playing philosophy of each team. Right now, my style of play wouldn’t fit in the best possible way in a team like Liverpool. Still, being linked to the best teams just shows I am doing things right.”
Ceballos wouldn’t have been much of a regular had he joined Liverpool so he made the right choice by going to Arsenal. The Spanish international was sidelined for a month-and-a-half due to a muscle injury. Even after recovering from injury, Ceballos has made only one appearance which came as a substitute against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
It seems less likely that the 23-year-old will be a regular starter under Mikel Arteta during the remainder of the season as the Arsenal manager would prefer to have any two out of Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira.
The Gunners play Newcastle United this weekend and there’s a good chance Ceballos will be on the bench for the match.
