After Joel Campbell departed for Sporting Lisbon on loan he criticised the lack of playing time Arsene Wenger gave him. Is his criticism justified?
Much of the summer transfer window circulated around the ebbs and flows of fans’ hopes and fears regarding potential incoming players. In the midst of the turbulent media storm, many of Arsenal‘s departees have been forgotten, or perhaps at least disregarded, and now the deadline has passed, it is worth reviewing one move in particular.
The loan exit of Joel Campbell was a surprise in one way and wholly expected in another way. Joel Campbell left for Sporting Lisbon on a season-long deal to the dismay of many supporters. Campbell was seen as a key contributor to the coming season having had a positive first full season at the Emirates, but clearly, Wenger had other ideas.
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That is where this move is a surprise. However, while fans and pundits rated Campbell and were shocked to see him leave for the season, it is no surprise to see Wenger act in this way. Throughout last season, Wenger was unreasonably harsh on the Costa Rican, never giving him the game time that his performances deserved.
Such regret and anger was vented by Campbell in recent days, as the now Sporting Lisbon attacker commented on what he saw as unfair treatment while in North London:
“I feel good, This is a new experience. I think I deserved to play more after what I did last year, but now this is a new stage.”
This leads me to ask, is his criticism of Wenger’s management fair?
Ultimately, the answer to the question comes down to how you judge his performances in an Arsenal shirt. If in your eyes, he played well then he deserved more appearances and his swipe at Wenger is certainly a fair one. If, rather, he was disappointing when on the pitch, then Wenger’s management seems to be sensible.
Personally, I saw Campbell as a key contributor last season and set to be one this coming year. Alongside Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who will inevitably suffer from injuries this coming year – Campbell was set to play in rotation on the right-hand side of the midfield. He played well last season, offering a direct approach that others in the squad were not able to match, and there was no reason not to expect the same output this season.
It is a very strange situation in which Wenger’s reasons for loaning out Campbell for the fifth time in his Arsenal career are likely hidden from external viewers. Nonetheless, from a purely on pitch assessment, the departure seems like a backwards step and his subsequent criticism of Wenger is seemingly justified.
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