Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Gunners Snap Up Costa Rican Teen Phenom

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Arsenal have been quietly busy during this summer's transfer window, eschewing most of the prominent, high-priced transfer targets in favor of lower-cost, higher-reward talent. Sure, they dropped £11 million on Gervinho from Lille, but Carl Jenkinson cost a grand total of £1 million, in true Arsene Wenger bargain-hunting fashion.

But, the deals weren't done for the Gunners, as Wenger has reportedly landed yet another young talent, in Costa Rican striker Joel Campbell.

According to a report from Mirror Football, Wenger and the Gunners had taken a liking to the 19-year-old phenom during the Copa America, where Campell shone for Costa Rica.

So, the Gunners did what any club who liked what they saw in a young player would do: they snapped him up in a big hurry, signing the 19-year-old starlet to a £1 million contract.

The Costa Rican phenom exploded onto the international scene with Costa Rica's U-20 squad, where he scored eight goals in nine international matches, and has already scored a pair of goals in his first six senior squad appearances.

Campbell is blazingly quick, and when he gets on a run he's tough to catch. His ball-handling and dribbling skills are stellar and he's incredibly creative with the ball at his feet. He's already shown a great nose for goal, and doesn't seem to be intimidated by high-pressure situations, evidenced by his showing in the Copa America this summer.

But for all his gifts, don't expect to see Campbell starting at Emirates next season, particularly because Arsenal could have a tough time getting him a work visa. Campbell played in fewer than 75 percent of his country's recent matches, and unless that changes, the Gunners will be hard-pressed to get him a visa, and will likely have to try and loan him out shortly after fully finishing the deal.

On top of that, he'd be no better than the team's third or fourth forward, meaning he'll likely wind up with just a few spot starts in the next season or two at Emirates. He's a long-term project, and with just eight professional starts in his career, he doesn't exactly have a ton of experience on the club level. He's got plenty of potential to struggle initially, but the talent is definitely there, and he could be a real bargain in a couple of seasons.

In the end, this was a smart signing by Wenger. Campbell isn't going to contribute next season, but the Gunners could use his skills down the road. He's a low-risk, high-reward kind of player, and given a couple of seasons to develop somewhere other than the Premiership, the teen phenom should have a bright future with the Gunners.

He's a raw, talented forward with the kind of upside that appeals to Wenger, and as long as he's given time to get his sea legs under him, the Gunners could have a tremendous talent on their hands. Sure, there's the chance he can't deliver on his potential, but given what the Gunners paid to get him, he's well worth the risk.

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