What to do with Dani Ceballos: In 30-minute spells he looks untouchable - now Arsenal have a big decision to make

Imagine, for a moment, that fans were allowed into Arsenal’s meeting with Leicester City on Tuesday night. Now imagine how they might have responded to the performance of Dani Ceballos in the first half. The Arsenal supporters have a song for the Spaniard - “he drinks Estrella, he eats paella” - but on this occasion it may have been replaced by a more traditional terrace chant: sign him up.

There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Ceballos’ future but, for now at least, one thing is clear: when he is good, he is really good. This was obvious as early as August, when he was given two standing ovations within 40 minutes of a match against Burnley, and has been even more apparent in recent weeks.

Ceballos has been Arsenal’s standout player in their last two home matches, against Norwich City and Leicester. These have not been complete performances, with the midfielder fading after the break on both occasions, but for two buccaneering 30-minute spells he has been largely untouchable, playing with guile, creativity and no little snarl.

On Tuesday night, as Ceballos darted around the pitch like a spinning top, he was Arsenal’s most thrilling performer. With his long hair flopping in front of his eyes in the pouring rain, Ceballos resembled a frontman in an indie rock band, dominating the stage and owning the night. No Arsenal player made more passes, crosses, touches or interceptions.

“He was superb again,” said Mikel Arteta. “Defensively, Dani has made a big step forward with the way he is pressing, the amount of interceptions that he is putting in. He is enjoying it.”

So what happens next? As a player, Ceballos needs to find consistency. The performances against Burnley, Norwich and Leicester have been spectacular, yet there also have been plenty of occasions this season when he has failed to make an impression. “He is a big talent and he still has a lot of things to improve,” said Arteta, who has spent most of the last few games yelling at Ceballos in Spanish, guiding him into the correct defensive positions.

As a club, Arsenal must decide whether they should push to keep him in north London. Ceballos is a Real Madrid player, after all, although he has never been fancied by Zinedine Zidane. With Thomas Partey the main midfield target, can Arsenal afford to loan Ceballos again? Can they afford not to, given his importance to the team and the ongoing absences of Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil?

“I am really happy with him,” said Arteta. “I think it is something that the club has to go a little bit further with Real Madrid on. At the moment he is playing very well.”

On current form, Ceballos is offering an all-round threat that no other Arsenal player can match. Take his role in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal against Leicester, for example. Ceballos starts the move by shifting his body weight and dribbling beyond Youri Tielemans. He then slides a wonderful pass through to Bukayo Saka, who crosses for Aubameyang.

Guendouzi could have created the space with the dribble, but has rarely shown himself capable of playing such a pass. Granit Xhaka could play the pass, but would not have the dynamism on the ball to create the space. Lucas Torreira, as a defensively-minded player, is more conservative in his distribution. Perhaps the only Arsenal player capable of such a moment is Mesut Ozil, whose “back soreness” continues to keep him out of the team.

It was doubly impressive from Ceballos because of the nature of the opposition. Delivering the goods on warm afternoons against Burnley and Norwich is a different task to facing Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi in a torrential downpour. Doing it against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday would be even more admirable.

The passions of the north London derby would suit Ceballos nicely, it seems. The 23 year-old has been fully invested in the club, in an emotional sense, since Arteta’s arrival. During their victory over Wolves at the weekend, it was Ceballos who celebrated most vigorously when they scored. “I love how much he likes to play football,” said Arteta, before the Leicester game. “The passion he puts into every training session and every game, you just have to see his celebrations.”

Arsenal fans will no doubt hope to see more of those celebrations in the seasons to come. Ceballos is showing himself capable of playing a significant role for the club in the long-term, if their executives are able and willing to keep him in north London beyond the end of this campaign. The neutrals will hope they manage it, too, even if it is only for the occasional 30-minute spell of footballing frenzy.