Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a personal intervention to make sure Dani Ceballos returned for the new season.

Marca says Arteta is such a fan of Ceballos that he insisted Arsenal brokered another loan with Real Madrid, believing that having him for only one more season would be better than not at all.

This is believed to be unusual behaviour for Arteta, who normally allows the likes of technical director Edu get on with the job without intervening.

It goes to show just how much faith he has in Ceballos, and what an important part of his side he foresees the playmaker being this season.

Los Blancos were unwilling to sell Ceballos, maintaining that he could be an important player in the future, and initially this put off Arsenal, who were keen on bringing in the player permanently or not at all.