Campbell To Relight Arsenal’s Fire

To say Joel Campbell is on a rollercoaster ride at the moment would be an understatement. He’s been cast off to the obscurity of the  Greek Superleague before flying to Brazil, putting in some stunning performances, and becoming the name on every Gooners lips.

It’s fair to say the rise of Campbell in the last few months has been astronomical. He first raised eyebrows back in February with a magnificent strike at the Karaiskakis Stadium, knocking the ball effortlessly by Michael Carrick before stroking the ball into the bottom corner. An effort he replicated in Fortaleza to help dispatch the Uruguayans.

And Costa Rica have kicked on from there. After the shock win of La Sele in their opening fixture, Jorge Luis Pinto’s men have proved themselves to be real contenders in the group, defeating the Italians 1-0 – a far cry from the whipping boys tag they were given pre-tournament.

And the Costa Rica Second Round World Cup odds won’t be bad either. With the likely possibility of ties with Colombia or the Ivory Coast, Campbell could add to his goal tally and help propel themselves into the Quarter Final.

Arsene Wenger will certainly be hoping so. The Arsenal boss – who has been at the tournament working for French television – has already agreed to give the 21-year-old a chance to prove himself pre-season, and if he continues to put in the performances on the biggest stage of all, he could be more than capable of filling that Thierry shaped hole at Arsenal.

Or at least provide the bit of firepower the Gunners have lacked since Van Persie left. Wenger is expected to be closely monitoring the forward, and it’s likely he’ll have a few others on his wish list with Karim Benzema, Mario Mandukic, and Alexis Sanchez on the radar to team up with Olivier Giroud.

There’s no reason Campbell can’t fill that gap however. Thierry Henry has been impressed with the youngster. He said, “Joel Campbell is a great player. He can pass the ball well and smells the goal.

“We are all waiting to see him in an Arsenal shirt. Hopefully he will be a player Arsene Wenger likes because I would love to see him play for Arsenal.”

He’s already proved himself on the Champions League stage, whilst he also picked up the Greek Superleague last season before going on to have what will no doubt be one of the most memorable summers of his life. Will Joel Campbell be lifting another trophy with Arsenal next season? With him in the barracks, it certainly boosts their chances.