Pundit thinks Mikel Arteta has transformed £15m Arsenal man who previously struggled

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BBC Sport pundit Matthew Upson has spoken about Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos, claiming Mikel Arteta’s desire to “get more from him” has reaped dividends on the pitch.

The former Gunners defender was on commentating duties as Arsenal hosted West Ham in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta’s charges ran out 1-0 winners as Alexandre Lacazette scored the winning goal on 78 minutes, while Bernd Leno put in a goalkeeping masterclass to keep a clean sheet.

Ceballos also played a crucial role in the Gunners’ triumph as he pulled the strings in the early stages, then moved further up to allow his side to take control of the game.

As the game went on he also contributed defensively, assisting the likes of Sokratis with many important contributions.

The Real Madrid loanee had fallen out of favour under former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery but appears to have a new lease of life under Arteta.

“Dani Ceballos is probably the one Arsenal player on the pitch who is trying to inject some energy into the game,” Upson told BBC Sport (16:23).

“Since Arteta has come in, it’s as if he has singled him out as a player and thought ‘I know I can get more from him, he is going to fit into my playing style’ and he really looks as if he is giving his all for the manager.”

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Arteta has a reputation as a great man-manager who can get the best out of players, and Ceballos is a prime example of this.

Frozen out under Emery, the £15million man (Goal) is now doing superbly under Arteta, who likes his team to dominate possession, making the 23-year-old a good fit for his plans.

Ceballos’ future at the Emirates is still unclear but he is doing his chances of a permanent switch no harm at all.