Arsenal forward Joel Campbell looks set for another loan move, this time back to Spain and Real Betis.
The Costa Rican winger recently returned to Arsenal following knee surgery and now looks to heading back to Spain for yet another loan spell. Despite him not wanting another temporary move away from Arsenal, Campbell isn’t fancied by manager Arsene Wenger, nor have Arsenal been successful trying to sell him permanently.
Betis expect to complete season-long signing of Joel Campbell from Arsenal. Currently on plane to Seville. Medical this evening.
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) August 31, 2017
Deal done so late on due to Betis waiting to move on Digard, Zozulya, Brasanac to be in a position to fund wages.
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) August 31, 2017
Campbell spent last season on loan at Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. It was the sixth loan spell of his career since joining Arsenal in 2011. He spent time at Real Betis during the 2012/13 season, making 28 appearances and scoring twice. He’s very familiar with Spanish football, having also played at Villareal in 2015.
The 25-year-old was the forgotten man this summer and his name wasn’t mentioned at all throughout the summer. However, it was always likely that he would leave the club due to Arsenal having too many attackers and not enough positions to play them in, I always felt.
The player will likely be frustrated that he’s not able to leave the club permanently, but it seems Betis had to offload some players to make the deal happen. It’s better than nothing. It’ll be one more player off the wage bill for Arsenal.
Whether we do something with the extra space is another matter.