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Arsenal Face Decision With Joel Campbell’s Future
By Josh Sippie
Joel Campbell has been a bit of a revelation to Arsenal this year. Some call it luck, others a coming-of-age. Whatever the case, Arsenal has to decide his fate.
Joel Campbell was supposed to be another one of those young men at Arsenal that bounces from loan to loan to loan and never makes the grade at the mothership. Just like Ryo Miyaichi and a handful of others. However, Campbell was given the opportunity of a lifetime to prove himself at Arsenal and it is almost 100% safe to say that he took it.
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The Costa Rican was given a shot at the starting XI when both Alexis and Theo Walcott went down with injuries. He stole the role from the incumbent, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and put in a masterful performance in his first ever EPL start against Swansea. Campbell looked the only inspired player on the pitch and he was rewarded with his first goal to seal the 3-0 win.
He has since added another goal, two assists and a defensive work rate to die for. Campbell is averaging just under two tackles per game, which for an attacking player, is a fantastic output (stats via WhoScored.com). It takes a lot to disrupt Wenger’s totem pole, but Campbell did that by unseating the Ox with his surprising consistency.
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And now, Arsenal face a dilemma. One of two things needs to happen this January. He either needs to be sold at the peak of his value or he needs a contract extension. Campbell’s contract runs out in the summer and he will be a free agent. That cannot be allowed to happen.
Reports indicate that Galatasaray are “flying in” someone to finalize a deal for the Costa Rican forward (via the Express). He has been the subject of a lot of inquiries recently given his overly apparent unstable footing at Arsenal. However, now that he has put a bit of steadiness to his play, Arsene Wenger is in a dilemma. There are plenty of positives to keeping Campbell. He loves the club. He has proven himself. He is consistent. He is young.
But there are just as many negatives. He is blocking the Ox. He is at the peak of his transfer value. Many still lack faith in his abilities. He may yet prove to be a fluke.
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Wenger is all about giving people chances, and he has finally given Campbell his chance. But Wenger is also a fan of selling excess weight when that weight wants more than they can have. When Alexis Sanchez comes back, Wenger will run with the Chilean and Theo Walcott. Campbell will have substitute duties to share with the Ox. That may not be enough for someone who was nothing short of a savior towards the end of 2015. His fill-in for Alexis was exactly what the club needed and being shoved to the background may not sit well with him.
Substitute duties may also disrupt his form, as Campbell is clearly a player that runs on confidence, just like the Ox. Also just like the Ox, substitute duties do not work. It leaves him looking for the plot and completely devoid of inspiration. If that happens to Campbell, he will not be given the same leash that the Ox has.
As such, January is a defining moment of Campbell’s Arsenal career. Defining in that it will either end, or he will make himself a regular contributor with a new contract. Waiting until the summer could be a bit of a problem because if he opts not to sign, Arsenal lose a chance at making some money on a much-improved commodity.
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The ball is in Arsene Wenger’s court. Joel Campbell has earned the right to be a regular on this Arsenal team but if there is no spot for him, then he has earned the right to start somewhere else.