Joel Campbell’s Real Betis loan to be cut short

Joel Campbell has been an Arsenal player since he was bought from Saprissa in 2011. However, Joel Campbell has also been on loan almost constantly since he signed with Arsenal. Last season, he was on loan at Sporting, and while it was half hoped he’d earn a permanent transfer there, that did not materialize.

It was then thought that a good Gold Cup over last summer might help clarify his future a bit. Unfortunately, the Gold Cup had the exact opposite effect; Campbell picked up a knee injury against Canada and had surgery that kept him out for several months. During his recovery from that, he also picked up an ankle injury that, combined with a second surgery to “clean up” the knee injury from the summer, has limited him to 112 competitive minutes for Real Betis this season.

Real Betis, understandably, are not too happy with that. They are reportedly considering cutting short his loan and seeking a player in a “better condition”, which nobody can really blame them for I guess. Campbell’s not helping them out, and Arsenal will probably want him closer to London so they can monitor and direct his recovery, and potentially loan him out somewhere else or maybe sell him if the stars align correctly.

Joel Campbell clearly hasn’t had much of an Arsenal career, but I hope he makes a full recovery and can contribute somewhere soon, be that at Arsenal or at another club.