Why are Arsenal not using Joel Campbell?

Campbell set for loan move away!

Arsenal fans will be hoping that the club will add a few more faces before the window closes soon, especially to the defence and in attack. Those positions have a shortage of quality and experience and if Arsenal are to get their season on track and aim to be title challengers, then these two positions are the biggest priorities for Arsene Wenger. However it seems there is something else troubling Wenger’s mind, because instead of new faces joining, he’s supposedly waving goodbye to one of our wingers, Joel Campbell, with the Costa Rican set for a move away.

Although it is yet to be confirmed by a more reliable source, I cannot believe that Arsene Wenger has supposedly agreed to let Joel Campbell leave the club this summer, in order to go out on a season long loan to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. Campbell, who showed on most occasions last season that he has drive and fight to play for this team, is being frozen out of the side by Wenger and nobody knows why. Arsenal are already looking pretty shaky in the final third of the pitch, with no recognised striker, a bunch of ‘out of form wingers’ and an Alex Iwobi injury, yet Campbell still was not named in the squad for the match against Liverpool or Leicester, despite being capable of covering for Olivier Giroud.

For Campbell’s personal sake of playing, if he cannot get a transfer away from Arsenal, then a loan is the next best thing for his professional career. Wenger clearly isn’t allowing him to break into this first team, despite what he has shown us when he does get a game or two here and there. Whether Campbell will be happy with another loan move remains to be seen, but given that he doesn’t seem to want to leave Arsenal (otherwise he surely would’ve requested it) then I’m sure all he wants to do is prove himself that he can be a first team regular for the Gunners. Instead Wenger continues to play Walcott on bad form, or even Aaron Ramsey on the wing before Campbell gets a chance.

Wenger was speaking earlier in the week about how the club want to extend Gnabry’s contract as they have invested so much into him, however Arsenal have also spent a very long time waiting for Joel. He spent several seasons out on loan before he could be granted a work permit and now that he’s available, Wenger still doesn’t want to use the Costa Rica international. If he truly does want to send Campbell out on loan this season, then I don’t understand why it has to be to Sporting Lisbon, when I’m sure there are a few Premier League sides he could get experience with.

What has Campbell done so wrong that makes Wenger choose against playing him?

By AH

12 Comments

  1. We lost to liverpool…burnley beats them
    We drew to leicester…..beaten by hull earlier

    Our team is becoming more and more average…

    Everything has an expiry date including wenger…

  2. Wenger’s treatment of Campbell is disgraceful. It would be understandable if he played badly when brought into the first team but he consistently plays better than AW’s 3 little darlings, the triumverate of uselessness, Walcott, Chamberlain and Ramsey. In fact he would rather play Ramsey out of position than use Campbell. Having said that I don’t know what Ramsey’s position is. He is certainly far behind Mesut and Santi in a CREATIVE midfield position and if Wenger thought he was any good in a DEFENSIVE midfield/box to box position why has he brought in not one but TWO players, Elneny and Xhaka, for that exact position? So the logical deduction from this is that Ramsey has no real position and is at best a squad player who should always start from the bench. As a final thought if anyone could please explain to me the inane meanderings of Wenger’s mind I would be most grateful.

    1. I like Walcott, but to be honest, he does not deserve to start games. He should be used as a sub. Campbell is sharper, more determined and keeps the ball better – he should be getting a place in the starting lineup ahead of Walcott.

  3. Isn’t that what Wenger does. Clearly Campbell is doing the right thing by choosing to go on loan and we’re going to miss him over the course of the season as he does a lot when he is on the pitch. He defends, always wants to play positive, forward & never complains whatever he is asked to do!
    But when Wenger’s favourites or whatever the reason are back from injury he will automatically bench him instead of awarding his bright displays!
    If you don’t trust the guy why do you applaud his qualities? Why do you keep him for no particular reason then for cover? Sell the guy get the money & buy somebody that you’ll trust to get in the rotation and challenge others!!
    Same goes for Chambers! I’m starting to feel sorry for the lad, he is wasting his talents. He should be getting as much minutes as possible in that CB role if not at Arsenal than on loan! To be fair when called upon he has been far from exemplary but still his talent is there to be developed. Holding gets selected ahead of him…just loan (if you trust his long term future at the club) or sell the guy and bring that world class CB with the money that you’re willing/want to spend as you say!
    What about Gibbs…he seems happy on that bench, Monreal can sleep easy but that’s not what a big club is supposed to be about! If Gibbs seems okay with the situation push him out the door and get a guy who will challenge Monreal and make us better like Ricardo Rodriguez for example (another who would be happy at joining the team).
    There’s 2 situations going on at Arsenal:
    1) Players that are good but Arsene doesn’t trust much
    2) Players that haven’t progressed as much as there talent suggested because of injuries or other issues and haven’t performed in the past couple of seasons ALREADY.
    That’s why you sell/loan & buy players to refresh the squad and bring new faces to keep the team competitive at EVERY positions! But also to let players know that if you don’t perform well this is what could happen 2-3 seasons down the line.

  4. This is from Swissramble:
    Overall, it feels a little like Groundhog Day at Arsenal. To paraphrase the late, very great David Bowie, “The film is a saddening bore, for we’ve lived it ten times or more.”

    While Arsenal might not be at the very pinnacle of football clubs financially, they are still better placed than most, so it is difficult to understand why the club has not used all of its resources to give itself the best chance of success. Very few fans want the club to throw caution to the winds, but they could surely invest more than they have done.

    By most standards, Arsenal have a fine squad that is certainly capable of challenging for major honours, but in recent years there has always been something lacking. The latest financial figures continue to demonstrate that there is enough money to be competitive in the market.

    Who knows whether a couple of world class recruits would make the difference and take the club to the next level, but surely it would be better for the club to spend what it can, so that its wealth can be seen on the pitch rather than gather dust in the accounts.

    He is a not an AOB or an AKB he is one of the smartest bloggers out there blogging about the business of football.

    Bottom line: Not winning is bad for business. AND you need to give yourself every chance to win.

  5. metimes, I am tempted to believe that Wenger deliberately refuses to play very good players, especially when they are underrated. I cannot understand why Carzola, as talented as he is would be sitting on the bench at Arsenal. He happens to be our most talented midfielder, bar Ozil. Same thing happened with the little Mozart Rosiscky until he
    eft. I know he has not always fit, but even when he was, he always had that injustice of lack of game time being meted to him. There is no reason for poor Campbell not to be starting in this team, especially considering the quality of those starting ahead of him but AW is continuing that tradition of ignoring good and consistent players (who happen to be underrated)

  6. Sometimes, I am tempted to believe that Wenger deliberately refuses to play very good players, especially when they are underrated. I cannot understand why Carzola, as talented as he is would ever sit on the bench at Arsenal. He happens to be our most talented midfielder, bar Ozil. Same thing happened with the little Mozart Rosiscky until he
    left.I know he was not always fit, but even when he was, he always had that injustice of lack of game time being meted to him. There is no reason for poor Campbell not to be starting in this team, especially considering the quality of those starting ahead of him but AW is continuing that tradition of ignoring good and consistent players (who happen to be underrated)

  7. Campbell has an eye for goal and is quite Clinical. He might probably do better as striker for arsenal than Alexis and Walcot because he plays as striker in his national team and he does a decent job there. Wenger has never tried him as striker at arsenal and I wonder why.

  8. I hope we’re just making room for new recruits, unlucky for Campbell but if it opens up room and wages for us to go the extra distance, well then it would be worth it. They say the haggling over Mustafi fee is because we want that bit extra to go toward a striker. I don’t know if this is true but if shipping out a couple of players can help, well then I say go for it. Although I feel it should’ve been Theo, now and again he can finish well and look very threatening, but he just has too many down sides. We added Holding and Iwobi to first team so I wouldn’t worry about quota.

  9. I wish Arsenal can loan the manager too. I rate Campbell more than Walcott, he is hard working and effective on his assist and team play.

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