It looks like Joel Campbell will join Sporting on loan for the duration of the 2016-17 season, with various local media outlets saying the player is in Lisbon right now to undergo a medical.
The Costa Rican forward was one of the bright spots last season, however he never seemed to fully convince Arsene Wenger.
The Arsenal manager’s decision to let him go when we’re still actively looking for a striker tells you pretty much everything you need about where he stands in Wenger’s pecking order.
And it might tell us something about a potential arrival to fill that gap but it seems most likely that Wenger has decided to get rid of Campbell to make room for Serge Gnabry on his return from the Rio Olympics.
He’ll join up with his international teammate Brian Ruiz at the Lisbon giants who were just pipped to the title last year by rivals Benfica.
He’ll have Champions League football as well, and good luck to him out there. He deserves a good run.
I know he’s only a squad playey but surely we can’t be letting options go without making signings? Them again I have no idea what our plan is right now either!
I’ll help you.
Wenger : We have Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott, Akpom and Sanogo who is still here but is injured atm – the players we buy have to be better
We are not signing anyone at all. The race for the fourth place trophy has already begun.
I am not sure there is one! I am a staunch AW supporter, but at the moment we look like a shambles. There doesn’t seem any clear idea of what we are doing. Shipping Campbell out will weaken the squad overall and having participated in the PL last season he did have experience on his side as well as enthusiasm and no little skill. I like Gnabry, but he is young with no experience. This will become most apparent when we have to field a team in the capital one cup and it will be full of 17 years olds.… Read more »
I’m kinda hoping the reason campbell is going on loan is to accommodate Draxler… here’s for hoping
That´s gotta be the only reason that makes sense. As he could have just sold Walcott, and Ox can´t go anywhere. Campbell is a far better big game performer than the other two. Not to mention the rest of the team seem to have a better connection to him in the final 1/3. Apart from Mesut, Campbell was our most creative passer in the final 1/3. Santi was injured but Campbell proved he belongs here.
It´s a travesty the way they´ve treated Campbell.
How we use him anyway!!! There are Walcott, Ox, Ramsey, now Gnabry ahead of him in Wenger’s pecking order. Let him go is good choice for him and the club
None of them can hold his jock on the wing…
He is a man out there, defenses don´t fear any of them. I trust Campbell to lock down, any other winger defensively. I predict a recall, when Campbell has about 8-10 goals by Christmas.
Campbell is the best right winger we got. Good technique, hard working and an end product. To ship him out is a fucking disgrace. I bet Wenger sees Ramsey and Wilshere as wingers. that´s how deluded he is.
I like Cambpell but he doesn’t have an end product. He rarely scored last season and Wenger wanna play with one classic wing and one inside striker. On the right side we have Ox a Walcott. On the left side we have Alexis and Iwobi. Of course if Alexis gonna play in the middle we gonna be short on the left but I still hope for striker or goalscoring wing.
He scored more goals than either of them, and had very good decisive passing end product. He was by far the best of those three last season. Wenger just doesn’t like something about him, and that’s that. I sure as fuck hope this is all to plan, or it’s the stoopidest move I’ve seen this window. Iwobi (though short term we hope) and Welbeck out, Walcott not on form yet, Ox neither, Alexis is going to play up top more, Gnabry we don’t know if he’s fully ready to take the step, Jack’s not a winger, Ramsey grouses at being… Read more »
It turns out Theo scored more. I stand corrected, and surprised. Fell prey to the narrative, I guess. A bit ashamed of that.
He may not have scored more than Theo, but he sure does a LOT LOT MORE in every other department. Defending, creating, assisting you name it.
Plus it’s hard to end up with much of a goal tally when you’re played as little as humanly possible.
This situation is baffling.
Dude, watch the highlight reels that the Sporting fans have put up mate, you are deluded…
And it doesn’t matter if we bring in a super, worldclass, deluxe, ultra winger who shits rainbows. Campbell is still a better option than Ox and Walcott. Sell Walcott and loan Ox to a hardworking team with a mean manager. Ox has to prove himself.
THIS.
Who are we to question Lord Wenger. He’s only got 40 years experience in the job. #Arseneforever.
#irony is wasted on angry fans. I can’t even raise a smile at the moment
I years experience 39 years old?
40 years experience so why hasn’t he learnt that teams know how we play its been the same tactics since day 1 the premier league has moved on but arsenal have stood still at home we should be attack minded to many holding midfielders and no plan b oh yes we have keep walcott on he might touch the ball in second half wenger outdated and out of touch, time to go at least two seasons ago, I’m a gooner for life a fan of wenger for life but not as our manager.
Hardworking absolutely and I think it’s a bt harsh on the guy after an excellent run last season. Where I would put a bit of a question mark is his technique though… It’s not great!
Do you doubt that he has better technique than Wallcot?
I am just sad with whatever is going on in the Arsenal. Wenger used to be my idol. I can’t see him ruining his image in mind anymore. Maybe I should shut myself away from all the shit that is happening for a season and then come back again.
I think the time has come for protests. Like Gazidis says, the only group Wenger is answerable, is to the fans. This is gross mismanagement of players. I don’t want to talk about Theo again. If as fans we feel so strongly about this completely unfair decision, imagine how the team who knows Joel very well must feel. Imagine how Joel himself and Joel’s family must feel. The guy plays with passion, and a never say die attitude. He’s added more end product than oxlade chamberlain too ffs. I’m fed up with Arsene. Until last season I questioned specific decisions… Read more »
And this is utterly how dressing rooms are lost. No was Alexis resigns, nor Ozil. Every team has them, players in their own bubble, take Walcott, surely non of his teammates will tell him he´s shit. They simply won´t pass him the ball…they can´t make him take on average LB´s…they just won´t pass him the ball. Then we get stuck trying to make things happen on the left side until Ozil comes on…
it is a sad state.
Like what the fuck is Wenger doing letting him go out on loan. Okay, yeah, Gnabry looks sharp, but still, Campbell had a real break through season last year. He actually contributes to the team when he plays whereas Walcott does literally fucking jack shit and still gets a shirt. It’s fucking unbelievable we’re going to loan Campbell out and not get rid of Walcott.
Rodriguez, Griezmann or Draxler on their way soon.
Honestly and sincerley, Wenger is killing my interest in Arsenal. I think i still follow and read news etc out of habit. But I am sick of Wenger pontifications about price etc while Mourinho shows up, spends and is pretty much already going to win the league. Loaning out and abusing players like Campbell who work hard for the team but indulging the Walcotts. Wenger and Arsenal are happy to accept the gate money from the new stadium, and the TV money, loathe to spend it. Bollocks re “the right way etc”. Can you see Wenger ever signing Ibrahimovich? No… Read more »
Wenger has completely lost it. Campbell leaves while Walcott stays. 4th place.
I’m taking a season off until we get a new manager
it’s bizarre, for a squad player he was one of our most reliable players last year and showed up defensively and offensively whenever he had a shot. But… Wenger has always had his favourites and form is often fucked off out the window in favour of his pets.
As a long time die hard ARSENE WENGER fan even in this current transfer situation I still support our manager and club but this is just stupid and i’m afraid to i’m done supporting WENGER now is time for him to go. This is so sad sad to see but he’s lost it. I hope we have a good season so he can have a nice send off and wish him well at the end of the season but this is too much enough is enough. Theres no logic in lettinig Campbell leave a hardworking player with fantastic skill passing… Read more »
Absolutely baffling decision. We are short of options up front, he’s played pretty well when given a chance, and we send him packing? I don’t think the comparisons people make to Walcott is a good one because unloading Walcott is very different, on his wages. The truth is unloading Walcott would be much more difficult. But there’s certainly room for both of them on this team. Campbell at times pulled out absolutely sublime touches and passes that rivalled those of Ozil. Decent on defence from the front line. This is very disappointing, and the writing is clearly on the wall… Read more »
This is senseless; having said that the last our transfer policy made sense and addressed the right issues was decades ago.
and don’t forget he’s probably the best defender on the right wing as well. Truly baffling. I’ve defended Wenger time and time again, but I really think he’s starting too lose it. With age comes great stubbornness.
Just like all the other transfer policy Wenger has been involved in recently, it doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. Short of options up front and we let the right winger with probably the most potential leave. I just hope Wenger hasn’t been stupid enough to include an option to buy. Mark my words, Campbell will be a star. I just hope it’s with Arsenal.
€10M, according to portuguese media
What an unbelievable FOOL wenger is…
Do you think Barca would ever loan a player out with an option that low?
Another in the long list of things that make no sense…
Never understood the thing between Wenger and Campbell much as the manager is sometimes hard to figure this has always been strange almost as strange as the Park transfer. But all the best for Joel at Sporting
Wish him the best, the only logical explanation I can think of is that we are making room for new signings. Otherwise it’s a strange decision.
Do feel he has been hard done by, put in some really top quality performances last season.
Draxler in? Please!
A bit annoyed by this. He was really good to watch last season. So much effort put in. So tenacious. BUT, if something better is on the way in, then I’m all for it.
Sadly I fear this is just another odd decision by Wenger. 🙁
Even if, there are plenty other players we could get rid of who are so far useless e.g. Sanogo. Fucking joke decision
Why? Because we all like him?
You can not be serious. Farcical.
Joel was one of few who actually put in a real shift when he was on, had some really excellent and sublime moments as well. This is so strange in my opinion he is a far better prospect than both Theo and the Ox
Funny how after ten years, we’re still thinking of Theo as a ‘prospect’. The bloke’s developed, he’s fairly shit, we should cut our losses.
Still think the Ox will be a beast though – only just turned 23.
This will be blasphemous decision if we don’t end up signing another forward. I would’ve much rather preferred players like Sanogo and Akpom making way rather than a clearly much more talented player like Campbell.
Wenger be like “no new players, no new players, no no no. My players from day one stay.
I r confused
…and Walcott stays . And Plays !!
Fucking ludicrous.
The truly baffling aspect is why it’s a bloody loan again. He’s obviously not in our plans, so just sell him and be done with it! The way the club goes on about needing money to make signings (ludicrously stupid as that is) you’d think they’d jump at the chance to sell a couple of players.
Damn right Bob! Wenger should stop tormenting this young boy with false hope!
because wenger probably wants to give him game time somewhere else to improve his value for any proposed sale.
Hard working player who i feel could become brilliant, another crazy baffling decision in a long line of strange goings on at this club.
Some might think we overrated Campbell. To me it was more about how little the other options have carved their names into first choice. As happy as I am for Iwobi, it’s amazing we needed to gain better balance with a youth product over the existing options we do have. For me the first 3 I would prefer to have seen are Alexis, Iwobi, then Campbell. Walcott and Ox were not useful enough last year. I think Campbell at the least is a solid player and would be extremely useful. He deserved more football for this reason. I really hope… Read more »
It will…
That would have been my starting three. But you must imagine, if we´ve seen this imagine what the dressing room must be like???
Quite why he’d move Campbell on and keep Walcott is entirely beyond me. Just when I think the club can’t get more dysfunctional. I would be very surprised if this is linked to a new signing.
No one in their right mind would pay £100K/wk for Theo’s services. He wouldn’t take a pay cut (quite rightfully). So, we’re stuck with him.
Quite rightfully…??
He´d be lucky to get 70k a week…
We remain in the transfer market so stay tuned to Arsenal.com they said.Honestly if they re going to buy a guy and they re gonna save funds for fees/agents etc,I honestly hope it will be Griezmann.Nevertheless lets skip back to reality…
I just don’t get whatever it is this guy has done to the manager. He’s obviously a better option to Theo.
Campbell and Gnabry are better than Walcott and Ox.
Everyone but Arsene can see that
You’ve got to feel for tnis guy. Gave it everything he had when we won and when we lost. Hope he’ll have a good time over in Spain…..hit em hard Joel
Is he going on holiday before his move to Portugal?
… he got out while he could!
I’m going to interpret this optimistically as meaning someone is coming in. Still seems bizarre though, hope he’s back with us next season
Could also mean making space for Gnabry.
That would make less sense…
Campbell proved himself…just like Gnabry did, only difference, Gnabry had a German national coach help him by calling out the obvious with how he was treated. Someone please step up for Campbell. As well it is surprising how the Spanish speaking contingent on our team have been so quiet on this.
This is the reward you get at Arsenal from Wenger when you work hard and exceed expectations during last season and preseason.
If you do that, it just makes you a threat to one of his chosen ones. Can’t be having that.
Utterly amazed that Campbell, a natural striker, wasn’t even considered ONCE to play as a striker in a team lacking strikers whereby one of our striking options doesn’t even wanna be a striker anymore.
But that’s 2016 Wenger. 96 Wenger was new. 06 Wenger I knew, 16 Wenger? Who knows.
Arsene was new in 1996. But new is just new – I don’t know why we didn’t just keep Bruce Rioch as manager. Oh no, wait, bringing in somebody new with a different approach completely changed our fortunes around.
Funny, that.
Another idiotic decision from our boss who is finally being found out by larger and larger sections of the fanbase and media
I agree with all the comments above: Joel is a grafter, he makes a difference, has a great football brain and loves playing for us
It’s probably because he won’t conform to the brain dead and sterile tippy tappy regime or because he is not one of his brittle ‘children’
I’m honestly baffled. Unless we’re making space for a player who would walk into the starting XI, I don’t see how letting Campbell go would be even considered a good idea. He’s a talented dribbler and passer who always puts in a shift defensively and rarely kicks up a fuss. If Wenger doesn’t trust him to do a job for the team at this point of his career, why not just sell him instead of stringing him along with constant loan deals? It seems unfair on the player to me. Especially if it’s Gnabry that we’re discarding him for If… Read more »
Am done with Arsene. I can’t wait for that much needed change. I may not know much about football but I sure know commitment when I see one and Joel have it all he takes his chances whenever they are presented to him, his hard work is second to none in the meantime why worry when you have Walcott.
We need fresh perspective as a club
Allegri or Simeone will do nicely, thank you very much
Wenger has lost his marbles completely and he isn´t fit to manage a football club.
Wenger why? Why let him leave?! This guy has a very high fitness level, He can attack, defend, assist and he’s not injury prone like the ox and Walcott. Let’s just hope we don’t regret not making use of his services this season when it’s clear he’s fitter than the other two options we have available at the moment. I wish him best of Luck in Portugal.
He can’t make his mind up one way or another, I don’t understand all these loans he clearly doesn’t rate Campbell.Yet Walcott stays because it would force him into the market even though he said he can’t play winger and then played him on the wing.
A club can’t succeed when there’s no clear message, Man U City and Liverpool won’t wait around for us.This season you need everything to get that title, we can’t even decide what were having for breakfast at the moment
So now we can make a little bit serious offer for a top top player, I’m not going to name targets because that’ll make it harder to negotiate but I think Mahrez is a top top player
If Arsene Wenger is really up there to let go players like Joel Campbell, then it seems the boss too ready to say goodbye when he finished bellow the top clubs in the league, come May 2017.
He got out while he could.
Failure of a manager keeps making crappy decisions. He says shit like we have sanogo. He wasnt good enough for Crystal palace what makes You think he is good enough for us? keeping walcott and letting campbell go? Wow and I heard him trying to play alexis as a lone CF. You have one of the best wingers in the world and you are making him ineffective by playing him out of position. And as much a walcott is a terrible player he is a better lone CF. When will this shit be over?
Jon Toral was Players Player, Fans Player and got goal of the season at Birmingham, yet he didn’t even get a look in pre-season. Joel played his heart out for us, was so proud to be at Arsenal, is better than Ox and Walcott and gets treated like shit. Gnabry was ignored after a very serious injury, sent to Pulis, and left to rot there. Probably sent to the Olympics to keep him fit for a loan spell, yet he’s done well enough to make Arsene look a fool if he loans him out, so expect him to be kept… Read more »
Same here mate. Can’t look, listen to Wenger any more. Can’t read it either. It is the same old stuff that he says, but now it sounds 10x more crazy and deluded than before, even if what he says at the same time makes sense, from his perspective (if you look at it that way). However, our serious underachievements say that he is wrong. And yes, we are seriously underachieving, because for years we are playing under our potential, and not utilizing the potential we have in the market. Fluke 2nd place last year is not a success.
Spot on. A f*cking tragedy too.
Are you freaking kidding me? This is not even laughable. Campbell played better than most of the squad last season, hec I’d say he was one of our best players last season even. This is an utterly incompetent decision only highlighting Wenger’s preposterous favouritism. This entire summer has been the perfect display of how the manager and other seniors at the club have lost the plot.
Can’t wait to hear about Wenger almost signing Mahrez when he was 12 and Lacazette when he was a fetus. Fuck.
Please rid us of the pampered boys!
We players like Campbell far more than the Walcotts of this world
not impressed, especially when we are stuck with Theo and his allergic reactions to graft
Beggers belief – hopefully he is in the squad next summer under a new manager that gives him the chance he has earned.
No doubt all our right sided players will get injured now as well
4th loan…utterly appaling.
#Madness
Roflalabad
Get well soon uncle Blogs xxx
Good Luck Joel – Wenger has treated you in such a disrespectful manner and you have responded like a true professional every time he has reluctantly had to give you a chance.
I hope you find a decent proper football coach who believes in you and wants to win the games for the team – rather than Wenger with his distorted ego and outdated Philosophy – you deserve better
I can’t understand this one little bit. Campbell’s energy and output far exceeded Walcott’s last season and showed an eye for a pass in the attaching third that relieved some of the burden on Ozil to create everything. Wenger has totally lost the plot now and whilst I have been a stalwart supporter of his over the seasons I have run out of justifications – much like he has run out of ideas. I hate ever contemplating agreeing with Robbie Savage but his comment questioning why we bothered moving away from Highbury is very pertinent. For what? To build a… Read more »
Everyone seems to believe what you say, “Campbell’s energy and output far exceeded Walcott’s last season”, but it’s just not so. Energy perhaps; but Walcott’s output last season, despite the fact he was just returning from a serious injury, exceeded Campbell’s by some way. It’s true, even though most “fans” here don’t want it to be so. Walcott scored 9 goals and made 6 assists; Campbell scored 4 goals and made 5 assists. In terms of minutes on the pitch, Walcott scored a goal every 230 minutes or so; Campbell scored about once every 405 minutes. Furthermore, without Walcott’s goals,… Read more »
What a dumb comparisson…now tell us how much minutes Walcott got Vs. those of Campbell’s
I did (well, I gave you mins/goal, at least). Walcott played c.2080 mins last season, Campbell played a little less, c.1620 mins. Not such a dumb comparison.
It’s dumb still because of the chances Walcott get to play vs. those of Campbell. Walcott played a total of 42 games last season vs. 30 for Campbell. So you mean to tell that Walcott needed 12 more games than Campbell to score 5 more goals and record just 1 more assist? Granted Walcott playing as a CF for most of those games while Campbell scoring from the wing. Not only that but let’s not forget that Walcott is Wenger’s little project which 10 years later we are still waiting for the end product.
Campbell needed 30 games to bag 4 goals, making your “Walcott needed 12 games to get 5 more goals” retort pretty humorous. Campbell buries Walcott in defensive awareness and effort, though, but he’s not some great finisher just pining for a chance.
Dan: you say “Walcott played a total of 42 games last season vs. 30 for Campbell”, but of Walcoot’s 42 appearances, 20 were as a sub. He started 22 games, Campbell started 20, and that’s not so different. As Yankee Gooner points out, your retort doesn’t say much to support your case. I also agree with him that Campbell always put in a good defensive effort, which was something Theo didn’t, especially when he was first returning from injury. All I’m saying is that Theo is not the “useless waste of resources” some people claim he is. He was our… Read more »
It´s not madness, in your moneyball of stats, defensive output and chances blown, as opposed to minutes that Theo had to allw him to play himself into some form of form.
Just when you thought you’d seen it all…I’m actually speechless.
Joel has shown ability, dedication and loyalty while being treated like shit by wenger. I am really happy he is spending the season at a decent CL club and wish him all the best.
I’d love to think this is because we’re signing someone amazing but I doubt that very much. We’re going to be relying on Ox to keep his preseason form and stay fit and Theo to stay fit and actually contribute for more than just 10 seconds in a game. The only logic here is that the boss wants to give Gnabry a good chance as he’ll want to tempt him to sign a new contract as his expires at the end of the season. I think Gnabry has more potential than Campbell but I really like Campbell’s workrate which is… Read more »
I love AW, but I’m seriously beginning to wonder if there is something going on with him physically/psychologically. He’s at an age where it is possible that cognitive decline is happening for whatever reason. Not really making a pocket diagnosis, but I have a lot of experience with various forms of cognitive impairment and the continued bizarre and unexplainable actions from AW, along with the insistence that he’s completely in charge of everything and the overt defensiveness he displays just give me pause. I know this sounds like bollocks but it’s entered my thoughts and I’m grasping at straws trying… Read more »
Hahahaha what a joke. Unless he has some sort of poisonous attitude that he brings to the camp, there is no excuse for this. If he is not fancied by now then sell him, don’t loan him again AND USE THE MONEY ON A REPLACEMENT!!!
I think Wenger includes all players (fit, injured and on-loan) while trying to put down the playing 11 and bench. The way the team is Really Big.
Baffling management. I don’t have a lot to add to the many similar comments above. I’m just stunned. – He was our second most incisive passer last season. Only Ozil more consistently sliced teams open. – He’s played striker for his (admittedly weak) national team, but we will proceed with the misfit toys we have without giving him a look – At this point does anyone other than Arsene rate Theo more highly than Campbell? – He always put in the effort – I doubly wish him all the best, for the sake of his own career and happiness, and… Read more »
with his ‘brazilian’ technique he looks way better than Walcott – i guess Arsene doesn’t like his image though …still it’s a strange decision unless they have to even the books for buying ‘stricker’ 🙂
Good first touch – Check
Ability to pick out a pass – Check
Has a good pace – Check
Can take on defenders – Check
Tracks back to defend – Check
Works hard when given a chance – Check
Plays in an area where we lack depth – Check
I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. What more is needed from him? If this is true, it’s baffling, simply baffling!
Arsene has only one spot on the team to experiment with and that’s the wide right side of attack. with the competition in CM most of the time he will need to shift some of them out wide. Wilshere and Ramsey will need games and if they can’t get them central then he will play them out wide. people talking about Campbell being better than Theo forget he is better than every other option out there on the right including Ox, Ramsey and Wilshere. But it’s easy to leave him out of the match day squad than any of the… Read more »
Campbell not made of glass, not overrated nor overpaid. Of course he doesn’t belong in the squad.