Should Arsenal fans criticise Wenger for sending Campbell out on loan?

You may have seen today that Arsenal.com confirmed that Joel Campbell would be leaving the Emirates for the duration of the 2016-17 season, in favour of a loan move to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

Joel Campbell was officially sent out on loan today by Arsene Wenger, after the Costa Rican agreed a season long contract with Sporting Lisbon. Wenger will no doubt argue that Campbell has been sent out on loan to obtain much needed competitive experience, however from what the fans have seen of Campbell at Arsenal, he shouldn’t have been loaned out.

Arsenal are already struggling for players in the final third and so to send Campbell out on loan, whilst the likes of Ox and Walcott continue to be inconsistent, it seems a tad strange. We also must not forget that Wenger has also lost Iwobi to injury, meaning that Ramsey will surely soon be back on the wing before you know it.

Joel Campbell willl join Portuguese Primeira Liga side Sporting Lisbon on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old scored four times in 30 first-team appearences last year, having joined the club in 2011 and enjoying previous loan spells at Lorient, Real Betis, Olympiacos and Villarreal.

The forward will be hoping he can help the Portugese side win the Primeira after their second-placed finish last year and gain further Champions League experience.

Everyone at Arsenal wishes Joel a successful season in Portugal.

Announced on Arsenal.com
I simply do not understand what Campbell has done to deserve such a lack of recognition by Arsene Wenger. Campbell just has not had a chance to prove himself at Arsenal with a consistent run of games, because even if he does play well one week, the winger will be nowhere near the 18 man squad a week later. It simply does not make sense as to why Campbell has been left out and now why the Costa Rican must spend the season out on loan.

For the development of his career, a loan move away is the right choice for Campbell. It’ll mean that he gets regular playing time and is able to consistently improve on his fitness and skill. However at the same time I still don’t know why he couldn’t have been given that opportunity at Arsenal, or even if not with the Gunners, why Wenger couldn’t secure him a move in the Premier League, where Campbell would gain experience in this competitive domestic competition.

Is Wenger wrong for sending Campbell out on loan?

AH

32 Comments

  1. Whenever I watched Campbell play, he played well
    He played better than Theo
    Mistake to send him out on loan, especially if we don’t sign another forward

  2. Too much noise is being made about Joel Campbell.Now let’s see how he does at Sporting Lisbon and if he does well then he’s worth the try and can fulfill his potential.Until that all I see is hardwork in him that’s all.He needs to improve on what makes him special or else he won’t make it.I think the loan is the best option and I commend Wenger for this decision.Calum Chambers should also go on loan.I thinl Wenger gave Joel some chances last season and boy was he drustrating.He hardly decided to beat his man but all I saw was his ability to help in defence and hardwork but nothing special.Now he can show who the real Joel Campbell is.

  3. @Arsenal Girl Campbell only plays better than Theo currently because Theo isn’t in form.Having said that I think people are over exaggerating his abilitues but I blame it on the awful performance of our wingers.Anytime Joel Campbell played to be honest ge was nothing spectacular.All I saw ws hardwork in the form of tracking back to help the defence and being all over the place.He needs to make it this season or else he should be sold.The same is the case with Ospina who is good but his abilities are over hyped which I also blame a certain used to be 1st choice keeper here and that is ”Mr. Mistake”.

    1. Kev, ospina in the 2014/15 season played the second half of the season for us. Goals conceded 0.61 per 90 minutes played in PL , equivalent of 23 goals in whole PL season. Best stats in PL by far, including saves per goal conceded etc. For every two goals ospina conceded the likes of coutrois, de gea and hart conceded more than three. Have you watched him play for columbia, awesome. He is our most underrated player, there is no hype around him. I cannot believe he is still with us as a number two.

  4. I really dont understand the Campbell treatment he is better than Theo and the ox.
    If anyone was to leave it was the aforementioned.
    I hope we are buying another winger because if not we cannot afford to keep testing Sanchez in the striker role.
    All points are very important as from now.
    We are just over one week away until the window closes.
    And we are very short in quality.
    Even Tottenham have surpassed us in terms of quality.
    But Wenger still cant find anybody in the market.
    Hope we do t end up like United when Ferguson left

  5. I don’t necessarily blame Wenger for sending him out on loan because I don’t think at his age and after his performances that he should be send out on loan, I blame him because this seems like typical Wenger dithering.

    Why does he keep players around he clearly doesn’t rate? It seems hard for me to see what else Campbell can do to prove himself to Wenger. At 24 he is no spring chicken. If after 5 years managing his career Wenger still doesn’t rate him, sell him!!!

    To me, Campbell was one of our best available forwards for an important part of last season. Definitely more mature and consistent than Theo and Ox. Is an other loan spell going to give him that which Wenger doesn’t seem to be able to coach into his game? Unlikely IMO.

    I think Wenger is as afraid to buy as he is to sell players. Theo would have been a good candidate to sell, if you don’t like Campbell sell him to and spend the 50 million they could fetch you in this market on Draxler or Mahrez or on any other player you rate higher than these two players. Manage your squad!

    Sending a 24 year old out on loan with no reasonable expecation of a posetive outcome, ie he will likely play himself into our starting 11 if he gets game, only hurts his value. How will you be able to argue a 30 million price tag or more if you clearly don’t want the player around your squad?

    Loan spells can work for young players around 20 and for me, prferably to an English club so they can get used to the English game. For a 24 year old, a very good and versatile 24 year old, sell him if you don’t like him, don’t risk destroying his value and career by making him a yourney man who goes from team to team out on loan.

    Last year Campbell was good enough to be included, this year with Welbeck out Iwobi injured, Theo meant for the center according to Wenger, and no new wingers or forward brought in, Campbell is not good enough to keep around?!?! Dithering!!! Sell him but buy a better player to replace him.

  6. Am I the only one a little bit excited as this seems a pretty solid indication there’s someone coming in?

    1. if gnabry comes back, we are getting no one.
      if hes sent on loan- we are definitely getting someone

    2. *Eminem “King never die” playing right now*

      ?I can hear da drummer drumming.. and da trumpet,
      someone tryna summon someone …I know sumtin’s comin?

  7. How many goals and assists does Campbell have in the few games he has played?

    How well has he performed in his previous loan deals?

  8. Why only Campbell sent
    out on loan?
    Jenkinson. Average. Injured
    Gabriel. Average. injured.
    Mertz. Over the hill. Injured.
    Debuchy. Injury prone.
    Wellbeck. Average. Injured
    Ramsey. Just decent. Injured
    Wilshere. Average. Always injured
    Walcott. Average. Injury prone.
    Chamberlain, Average. Injury prone.
    Chambers. Average.
    Gibbs. Average. Injury prone.
    Sanogo. Injury wreck.
    Asano? Not qualified for the club.???

      1. Your right Muff they are not average
        They are below average.
        I was just being kind.
        But you waved that wooden spoon at me
        so I am really gonna be truthful now 🙂

      2. If they aren’t average, what are they then? Give me an effing break!

        “Average” don’t mean they bad… Only means they are not stars yet.

        Welbeck, Ox and Gabriel have done absolutely nothing in their careers to prove they are stars. Welbeck in particular in the years he has joined us has two major injuries (and setbacks) plus his goalscoring record is abysmal for 25 year old 16mill CF.

  9. I for one think that Camobell is a skillful player with pace and a good shot and I sat if he was deployed we would have won the matches the front 3 should have been campbel sanchez wolcott but than that is me

  10. Ospina is a good keeper however @jonm and muffidiver but you guys should stop focusing on stats too much.Those who will be truthful to themselves will even say the time Szczesny won the golden glove he was more impressive than Petr Cech last seaaon when he won it and it seemed tp have shocked some people when it came out that Sczesny was in the running for the golden glove that season due to many shockers we have.We can’t always be on the same page you know.I rate Ospina but not as much as that stat suggest.If ypu are also truthful to yourself Ospina came in at a time Coquelin had just returned and the defence was calmer with Coquelin’s return due to his defensive intelligence and many other applaudable qualities.Within that period Ospina didn’t have much to do.But later in the season he failed miserably as he let in cheap goals.

    1. I am not going by stats alone. I watched ospina in WC before he was associated with Arsenal and was very impressed. When he joined arsenal I was looking forward to see him play. In the 2015/15 season I was watching him carefully and I cannot recall him letting in cheap goals. There was

      1. To contine the above,

        2015/15 should read 2014/15.

        There was one occasion where he appeared rooted to the spot but the replay showed him commencing to dive when the ball took a deflection, he checked his dive but could do no more. I cannot recall any commentators blaming him for goals.

        As regards to him not having much to do, he made more saves per goal conceded than than the other top goalkeepers, so that does not support your theory.

        Ok he had a bad game the following season against olympiacos but all keepers have an off day, like cech against west ham and cech at end of last season, twice beaten at near post.

        I agree that the defense as a whole were playing well, but ospina played a big part. If ospina “failed miserably” then I cannot imagine what you say about some of our other players.

  11. @davidnz has anyone ever told you are average?You are average and so is a lot of people around here.Gabriel,Wilshere,Ramsey,Ox,Gibbs and Welbeck are not average players.The average players in Arsenal so far based on their quality are: Debuchy(after injury),Mertesacker(very average),Chambers(laughably terrible),Giroud(will forever be),Sanogo(a disgrace),Jenkinson(but can still fulfill potential) and Welbeck(awful)

  12. This loan move has a buy option included in it, said to be around €10 million.
    Goodluck to the boy, he obviously must have done something wrong, that we don’t know about!
    Maybe he didn’t use his tongue whilst saying good morning to Wenger… like Ramsey does! ? ?

  13. kev is right.. the only reason you all are overhyping campbell is because he played okay at a time when every winger we had was off-form.. even at the much lauded WC2014 he played one great game against uruguay and then after that it was bryan ruiz who ran the show.. dont get me wrong i DO like hime but you treat him as a messias just because of your hate for walcott… campbell on an okay day is more useful than walcott on an okay day.. campbell helps more going backwards but a walcott inform is theee times the player campbell is, so anyway we need another better solid winger

    1. You’re probably right, but if Campbell had Theo’s game time, you’d probably be wrong.

  14. Could they still be after Draxler perhaps and it’s a pre lim to that? If for that reason then I would be perfectly happy with that….if not it’s a weird decision and they should of loaned Theo and kept Campbell.

  15. There are loads of clubs out there that would gladly welcome Campbell. I think it’s a missed opportunity that we didn’t try using him as a make-weight. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer Campbell over Theo any day, but if he’s not in our plans we could have tried softening Wolfsburg’s blow of selling us Draxler by offering Campbell into the deal.

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