Signing a new deal before he was sent on loan to Villarreal in January was perhaps a sign that the door wasn’t being closed completely on Joel Campbell’s Arsenal future.
The Costa Rican forward scored just once for the La Liga side in his time there, and as a late arrival back this summer because of his involvement in the Gold Cup, he is yet to feature for the club this season.
Speaking at his press conference this morning, Arsene Wenger said his desire was to keep Campbell at the club for the upcoming campaign.
“At the moment he is here and personally I would like to keep him,” the manager said.
“I will have to sit down with Joel because I rate him highly as a player and personally if he stays here I am very happy.”
All of which sounds promising, but quite familiar, because if you go back to August 2014, here’s what the boss said, “He is a member of my squad at the moment.
“In training he is very focused and eager to do well. I would like to keep him.”
Campbell made just 3 starts (1 Champions League, 1 Capital One Cup, and 1 FA Cup), and 7 substitute appearances before being loaned to Spain.
Whether he’s improved enough during that spell to really fight for a place remains to be seen, but just because Arsene Wenger says he wants to keep him doesn’t mean he’s going to.
When Wenger feels the need to each time qualify the statement with, “he plays for me right now, so I want him to stay” it doesn’t exactly indicate a great deal of faith.
… I.m not going to play him.
Can’t see him staying. Way down the pecking order. If we get a decent offer he’ll be gone.
I think there is more chance of Ozil signing for Besiktas in the peak of his career before the window shuts.
Seriously sky sports just crack me up.
It won’t hurt to keep him. Expecting big things from him last year I was surprised to see how ineffective he was on the wings. Maybe we could try him up front (I think he played there once in the capital one cup) and discover he can do a job for us though only in the tin pot cup to start off with.
True, I couldn’t believe how ineffective he was on the bench. He literally just sat there as the game passed by him…..
He needs playing time. Just look at our other loanees and how they’re excelling elsewhere. If he doesn’t go out on loan he’ll barely get a game plus he’ll be behind the likes of Akpom and Gnabry come next pre-season.
I do not have a comment but it looks like Arsenal is not as strong as Chelsea, Man United and Man City. Wenger has to think twice if he is to compete for the title league as previously promised. We want him to compete for the title, that should be his mission, we do not want excuse from Wenger anymore.
Hmm I don’t know, this looks suspiciously like a comment to me
He’s not got a comment about Campbell because he didn’t read the article. He just saw this as a great place to have a moan. Another one who tells us “We” don’t think Arsenal are any good this year. His “we” might have already given up on this season, but my “we” are going to get behind the team and cheer them on til the end.
stability is good when you dont lose your best payers.
Failing to upgrade while chelsea and city keep upgrading even though they finished 1st and 2nd last season will only widen the gap and leave us behind.
Bow locks…
I think there’s a good chance he’ll stay unless we sign another forward. We only have six dedicated forward/wingers (Giroud, Alexis, Walcott, Chamerlain, Welbeck and Campbell) although he is very much at the bottom of the list (and we have many other players capable of playing wide), unless Wenger feels Jeff is ready I feel he is needed for depth in the squad.
GOWYCJ
I’m surprised no one has mentioned him “doing a Coq” yet. Seems to be one of the comment cliches at the moment. It’s almost replaced LANS.
Would be nice to see him pull off a Coq and explode this season.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Wenger can’t have much faith in him, or the Ox and Walcott for that matter if he’s playing Ramsey, a central midfielder there.
Right wing is clearly a position no one in the squad has impressed the manager enough to hold it down and we can probably improve on in the transfer market.
Is it lack of faith or rather Wenger trying to field his strongest players? Besides, Ramsey isn’t playing as a winger on the right.
Should have been sold last summer when his World Cup cameo would have fetched a hefty price tag. Never rated him as Arsenal material, sorry.
…but, he has to save himself.
…i want to keep him. Of course you do but he wont get games and probably wants to get the fuck out of dodgy keeperland.
He’ll stay at least until January. Right now we have 25 players over 21 who are not out on loan. There’s no reason not to keep him as a possible option for the league cup and to see if he can provide more depth on the wings and up front. Unless we make a signing that requires us to drop another player, he’ll stay instead of going out on loan.
I’m not surprised he wants to keep him; realistically, we’re one injury away from only having either Giroud or Walcott fit.
My question is why is he left footed in fifa? I remember him sending in the corner for Ramsey’s rocket volley with his right foot.
Maybe because he’s actually horrendously left footed in real life…
c’mon joel will be very important for us…when giroud, walcott, welbeck all injured..who’s going to be our coquelin in attack? JOEL CAMPBELL!!! you’ll be surprised
I think we have to keep him with Welbeck still out and having already loaned Akpom. Going to need him for a title-run at the League Cup.
Goobity gock and a bottle of sprock, Joel is back and as fierce as the Coq. Long since forgotten and viewed as a foal, from his feet will come wizardry, passes and goals.
This I declare the 21st day of August, of the year 2015.
Are all of your posts going to be poetic? I hope so.
Where is Rambling Pete?
Poetic justice.
He has a magnificent touch and a great left foot shot.
But that alone is not enough, he has to take a good step up to be close to playing regularly.
Have we ever played him through the middle? Could be a cup experiment worth exploring…
Joel will leave..You can bet on that.
None of you lot could see Coquelin staying last season either.
No one considered Bellerin an option at RB.
😉
I would have rather we kept Afobe and given him a chance after last Christmas. If Bellerin can be the answer at right back, why can’t others?
I know there are no world class strikers available but we could improve on Joel with a “gamble striker” signing??