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Arsenal: Wenger Wasn’t Watching Joel Campbell On Break
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal seemed to have a star turned in Joel Campbell. Yet he never earned the boss’s appreciation. And the recent break won’t have changed that.
I have lost touch with the hateful part of me that vehemently advocated on behalf of Joel Campbell. That’s probably because I no longer have any reason to get wildly upset that the Costa Rican international is not playing for Arsenal. Or at the very least, not playing consistently.
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Campbell is doing some cool things with Benfica. The other day he scored the winning goal and lost his freaking mind. It was amazing to see, because I remembered that same intensity for Arsenal.
He got a raw deal. He won that starting role but was replaced by Alex Iwobi for next to no reason. Then, against all odds, he decided he wanted to stay and fight for his spot. A spot that at this point in time is largely up for grabs.
Despite that declaration, Wenger loaned him out to Portugal. Why? God only knows. Well, Wenger does too. But still. It makes no sense.
Now, the wide attacker has put on another show, this time on the international stage for Costa Rica, scoring twice against the good old U. S. of A to secure a victory. It was a beautiful effort and one that should garner attention.
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However, I doubt if that attention will come from Arsene Wenger. In fact, I doubt if Wenger was even watching Campbell. And if he was, he didn’t see anything he hasn’t seen before.
It feels like a losing battle. Nothing that Campbell does wins Le Prof’s approval. It is the one thing that has constantly befuddled me in all my time watching and covering Arsenal. How can one man, who seems to embody everything that Wenger stands for – hard work, innovation and pure loyalty – be so shunned?
Campbell will come back to the Emirates this coming summer, in all likelihood. He is determined to make it at the club he loves, but I highly doubt if this is a winnable battle at this point. He had a wonderful audition for the first team and nailed the role, but nothing came of it.
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Whatever happens. Campbell is a stud and he deserves to be on a team that will appreciate that and let him play. Even if that doesn’t happen at Arsenal, which is looking less and less likely.