For quite a while it looked as though the Arsenal and Costa Rica striker Joel Campbell would never get to actually play a competitive game for the Gunners, because of the work permit problems. And then when he did finally get his papers and came to north London on the back of an impressive World Cup, it all seemed to go wrong for him again.
The striker´s competitive debut was a good start to life as a Gunner, as it was the victory over Man City in the Community Shield. After that, however, we hardly saw him and he had to wait until the Capital One Cup before his first start. A few months later and Campbell was out on loan again and his Arsenal career looked over, so fair play to the young forward for sticking with it.
Campbell is set to start against Sheffield Wednesday tonight and the attitude that has kept him going despite his setbacks has been lauded by Arsene Wenger, as an Arsenal.com report reveals. THe Frenchman has urged the Costa Rican to grab this latest chance with both hands and he believes that Campbell certainly has the talent and footballing prowess to do so.
Wenger said, “I like Joel Campbell very much for two reasons. One is that he has outstanding individual quality, but he is also a team player. He works very hard for the team.
“I’m convinced he will get a chance here and that he will take it. He has another opportunity against Sheffield Wednesday and I’m hopeful that he will show that he has the quality to play for Arsenal.
“When you get the chance, you have to be ready. To be ready, you have to prepare. I must say that Joel Campbell and Calum Chambers are two players who do absolutely everything right.
“They are prepared, the preparation they have created will give them the confidence against Sheffield Wednesday and I’m confident they will play well.”
Campbell and the other fringe players know that the cup competitions are their best chance of time on the pitch and so they need to get Arsenal into the next round. But with Welbeck still some way from a return, the forward may well find himself with a few more appearances if he can impress tonight. Do you think he still has a big future with us?