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Opinion: Being pipped to signing by Arsenal is not a blow for Tottenham

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Arsenal fans will absolutely love it should they pip Tottenham to the signing of Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid, but as far as the Lilywhites should be concerned, it won’t be an issue. Mauricio Pochettino is not one to put all of his eggs in one basket, and if Ceballos goes to Arsenal he’ll have a contingency plan.

The Spanish midfielder was below par for Real Madrid ast season, much like most of their stars, and it’s been reported that Zinedine Zidane is happy to let him leave on loan this season. The player, according to Sky Sports, is going to snub Tottenham and sign on at The Emirates, as there’s more of a guarantee of first-team football.

All this deal is waiting on apparently is the ok from the Los Blancos boss himself and after talks last week that the Lilywhites were after the U21 European Champion on a permanent deal, Sky Sports, it could all be over with the 22-year-old signing on the dotted line at The Emirates.

If this comes to fruition, and it looks very much like it might at the moment, then Tottenham fans need not worry. Whilst Ceballos may have been linked heavily with the club, so has another budding La Liga attacking midfielder in the form of Real Betis’ Argentine, Giovani Lo Celso.

The 23-year-old is currently still on his post-season holidays having taken part in the Copa America with Argentina, and after Tottenham had a bid for the midfielder turned down back in early June (BBC), the player has supposedly handed in a transfer request, as per local Betis newspaper Sevilla.abc.

The reason behind Lo Celso wanting to leave is his desire to play Champions League football, and that is something that the Lilywhites can offer ahead of next season. Dani Ceballos seems to have no such desires as he prepares to leave a Champions League side for a Europa League one, but Lo Celso is showing ambition.

It also helps that Lo Celso, statistically, was a much better player than Ceballos last season. Whilst it’s impossible to compare their goals and assists fairly, as Lo Celso played almost double the number of minutes as the Real Madrid man in La Liga, certain things can be compared.

The Argentine averaged more shots and dribbles per 90 minutes than Ceballos, as well as helping defensively, averaging more tackles per game than the Spaniard, as per WhoScored’s player comparison tool, and being a year der than Ceballos and having experienced football in two cultures in France and Spain, he looks a better fit.

Any move for Ceballos would also be a loan move, whilst Lo Celso could come in on a permanent transfer, and even if Arsenal do get the last laugh with Ceballos, they’d only be waving goodbye to him next May whilst the Lilywhites enjoy at least a few more years with Lo Celso.

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