Arsenal: Joel Campbell’s Loan The Final Egregious Straw

Arsenal’s all-knowing leader has sent Joel Campbell out on another loan. This has to be the final straw for the poor Costa Rican.

I don’t think there has ever been anything that has made me more angry at Arsene Wenger than how Joel Campbell is treated. I accept that we don’t see everything that goes on in training and behind closed doors. That’s a given. But from what everyone sees, there is no one at Arsenal that works harder. In matches, he is tireless. He seems to be everything that Wenger could want in a wide midfielder.

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Yet he is now being sent out on his fifth loan and we have to assume that this is the last straw. This has to be the final nail in the coffin. Campbell admirably handled last season with class, as he came into the summer months committed to earning his place.

He wasn’t even in the 18 man squad against Liverpool and now we see why. Sporting Lisbon has landed Campbell on loan and they hope to make the deal permanent.

I don’t think I will ever understand this, mainly because of the continued stay of one man: Theo Walcott. There is nothing that Theo has that Joel doesn’t other than a clear inability to develop and improve.

Campbell impressed me more last year than Walcott has in the past five. It all makes zero sense. With just Alexis, Walcott and the Ox as legitimate wingers, why loan out another? Is Chris Willock coming in that quickly? Maybe Jeff Reine-Adelaide? The last time someone earned a starting role as convincingly as Campbell did, it was the Ox in this preseason. Funny how Theo Walcott got in the way of both of them.

Why wouldn’t Wenger want a tireless workhorse that can penetrate defenses, create on his own, is fearless in the attack and wants nothing more than to succeed at Arsenal? I keep asking questions as if I am going to hear an answer, but I’m not.

It will be the same answers. “He just didn’t gel with Wenger”. “He must have upset someone in training”.

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It’s all speculation.

At this point, I wish Joel Campbell would just make the deal permanent. Stop wasting your time and your abilities on someone who has no appreciation for it. Enjoy the game, rather than letting it eat at you when you’re not even in the squad while Theo Walcott is starting.

I want to hear from Wenger what the logic is here. How he can possibly justify abandoning Campbell while Walcott is still tripping over himself in front of goal. There is no reasoning to it and I was proud to see Arsenal supporters up in arms about this move as well.

I didn’t expect much out of Campbell when he debuted last year. I couldn’t wait to see him in action at the top tier of football and I had every reason to believe he would succeed, but you know how things go. It’s hard to catch on.

Campbell latched on immediately and fit right in. There was a bit of a disconnect with other players at first, but that was over pretty quick and just like that, he looked like a bonafide Arsenal man. Then he was gone. With no explanation, he was replaced.

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What happened? That’s all I want to know.