Arsenal are set to agree a deal with Valencia for the transfer Joel Campbell according to a report in Marca from Spain.
Campbell who already has more than 50 caps for Costa Rica played well for Arsenal last season but it has always been clear that he is not amongst Arsene Wenger’s favourites. A bid in the region of £5million is likely to be enough for Arsenal to accept, an amount that seems ridiculously low considering we have seen what he can offer. At a time when Arsenal are struggling for goals it is worrying to see an attacking talent like Campbell being shipped out before anyone is coming in the other end.
The report in Marca has been brought to our attention by Sport Witness who do an excellent job when analysing foreign reports.
Luis Nani has already signed for the Spanish club for a bargain £7million, and if they follow that up with the signing of Campbell, they will have improved their attack with two very cheap and shrewd signings.
Campbell’s versatility was hugely advantageous to Arsenal, he was capable of playing on the left, right or even as a striker, although Wenger never really tested him through the middle.
Personally I will be sad to see the Costa Rican go, he always worked very hard and has improved over the last 18 months. He has started to add technical quality to his game and that showed in some of his Champions League performances, where his key passes really caught the eye.
If Arsenal are to replace him with a top quality winger then I won’t care too much, but nothing seems to be happening on that front.
With Serge Gnabry set to miss the start of the season because of his participation in the Olympics, Arsene Wenger will be desperate (surely) to add another attacking signing to the current squad. There are also serious doubts about Alexis Sanchez’ fitness ahead of the new season.