Carlo Ancelotti’s plan for the 2023/24 season will have a place for Dani Ceballos

Dani Ceballos’ contract renewal is now official, and the midfielder will play for Real Madrid until 2027. The man from Andalucía arrived at Madrid in 2017 from Real Betis for a fee of around €16 million, yet his time at the club from the capital has had its ups and downs since then.

He was a member of the squad in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons but hardly featured: Ceballos was never on the same wavelength as then-manager Zinedine Zidane and he left on loan to Arsenal for two years. He returned in 2021 and became a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s successful side. The midfielder may not have had the most minutes out of the entire team, but his importance and impact on the pitch has undoubtedly grown and Carletto feels that the player can certainly continue to have an influence on the team.

Dani Ceballos chose to stay and fight for his place in the team

However, those around the player had made their message clear during the last months of the 22/23 season that Ceballos’ priority did not lay with money but guarantees in the sporting project of the team: he wanted to play. Carlo Ancelotti’s plans depended on whether or not Kroos and Modric signed new deals and if Jude Bellingham was going to be brought in from Borussia Dortmund. All of these things happened, and yet Ceballos still remained in Madrid.

Admirably, a huge decision was taken regarding his future, one in which he chose to fight for his place among the seven elite central midfielders that Real Madrid now have in the squad, but Ceballos knows he will have a chance to prove himself. Just ahead of the last game of the season, Real Madrid lost four of their attacking players: Asensio, Hazard, Mariano and Benzema. Only Vini Jr and Rodrygo remained, meaning Madrid had to act, bringing in Brahim and Joselu.

What formation will Real Madrid play next season?

As far as the club are concerned, their transfer window is over, although the huge number nine that is peeking out from beyond the horizon will be there until the transfer window closes on top of it. If the squad remains the same, Ancelotti’s idea to to play with a 4-diamond-2 or a 4-3-1-2, in which Bellingham would be the player behind the attacking duo, making use of his attacking talent (he scored 14 goals last season).

This tactical switch means that there are seven players to occupy four roles, something which looks more favourable than last season where there were 6 players fighting for 3 spaces. Madrid have a new picture on the drawing board and Ceballos knows that he has a part to play in proceedings next season.