Arsenal: Joel Campbell learning from context clues

Arsenal’s unpredictable Costa Rican Joel Campbell has admitted that a sixth loan move does not appeal to him. Given all that has happened, it appears he is learning.

Arsenal are all about giving players chances. That is what Arsene Wenger has always preached. But recently, they have been using a loaning system that seems to just put off the inevitable sale, and that in and of itself goes against this supposed policy of faith and investment.

I always give Chelsea crap for their loan system. They never sell players, they just loan them excessively, oftentimes so often that they flirt with ruining players career as they can’t seem to latch on anywhere, seeing as how they move every single year.

Now, it looks like the Gunners are picking up a similar tactic on a smaller scale.

First it was Jon Toral. The young Spaniard has impressed on every single loan – and he’s been on four. But before he could even be given a chance with the first team, he was finally sold off. What exactly was the point of the loans then? To delay selling him? Because it’s clear he wasn’t being judged, as he couldn’t have done much more with his loan opportunities.

Joel Campbell is catching on. The Costa Rican returned to training in North London and has immediately pointed out that he is not interested in another loan move.

I can’t imagine why.

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Campbell has been loaned out five times and, in his brief tenure with the Gunners, he impressed, filling in in an emergency for the usual cast of injured Englishmen. But that filling in wasn’t appreciated because he was shipped off again.

And if Campbell has been paying attention, which clearly he has been, he should have noticed by now that excessive loans away from Arsenal rarely translates into regular first-team appearances. Or even a viable chance at proving oneself.

All Campbell is doing is trying to force the issue for his own sake. He’s 24 now. He has a world of talent and wants to go somewhere where he can settle in and prove himself, maybe become a regular. You know, reasonable things that any player would want.

Wenger has been dawdling with Campbell in recent years and all it serves to do is set the player back. Campbell has Chelsea-loan syndrome where he is unable to get his feet underneath him at any given club because he’s been a traveling journeyman for the past six years.

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I don’t expect Campbell to play for Arsenal this year. Which is sad, because he isn’t going to be sold in the little time remaining. The more likely scenario is that he will end up with another wasted year.

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