How Arsene Wenger Can Solve the Conundrum That Is Joel Campbell

Joel Campbell’s 2015/16 campaign was a rather strange one. He overachieved significantly, impressing fans and pundits alike, yet he ended the season with serious doubts over his future.

Now Arsene Wenger must spend the summer mulling over what to do with a player he doesn’t quite seem able to trust with a regular place in the side.

At the start of the season, Campbell was not expected to play a major role in the side. After all, he had spent the second half of 2014/15 at Villarreal for his fourth loan spell in as many years. After finally qualifying for a work permit, he played a marginal part in the first few months of Arsenal’s season before being used as a makeweight in a deal to coerce the Spanish side into selling Gabriel Paulista.

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Campbell didn’t exactly set the world alight at Villarreal, scoring just one goal in five months with the club. The fact Wenger was prepared to let him go was seen by some as evidence that he was deemed expendable.

However, an injury to Danny Welbeck appeared to save his Arsenal career. The England international was initially expected to be back relatively early in 2015/16, but when it emerged he had suffered a setback, Wenger kept Campbell on. Like Welbeck, he offered cover both out wide and through the middle.

Even so, it initially seemed the Costa Rican was merely there to make up the numbers. Although Campbell has played as a central striker for his country, he has never appeared there in an Arsenal shirt. Most of his club football had been played on the flank, but Wenger seemed to have a wealth of options in those positions. The likes of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and even Aaron Ramsey stood between Campbell and first-team football.

However, at Arsenal nothing is guaranteed. The club has an infamous injury record, and come November, that annual issue raised its head again. Robbed of his preferred options, Wenger was forced to throw Campbell into the fray.

Expectations were not particularly high, even after Campbell’s eye-catching displays in the 2014 World Cup. However, Campbell is nothing if not determined. Steadily, he began to make his presence in the side felt with a combination of hard work and considerable guile.

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Arguably, his standout performance came in the Champions League against Olympiakos on December 9. Arsenal needed to win by two clear goals to secure progression to the knockout stages. They won by three, and Campbell was outstanding. His most telling contribution was a stunning assist for Olivier Giroud, threading a pass between a sea of Greek defenders to find the Frenchman. 

This appeared to be the mach in which Campbell’s fortunes changed. Suddenly, he looked more than just a bit-part player. In Greece, he was integral rather than merely incidental.

Wenger was full of praise for the manner in which the Costa Rican seized his opportunity, saying, per James Riach of the Guardian:

"

I thought always the attitude was there. But after Olympiakos, in a game where we were like that, knife on the throat, he turned up with something special. Great team work and a pass for Giroud on a second goal that was massive for us. Then I thought ‘he can play under pressure as well, what is important for us’.

You want to be surprised by the quality of your players and where he surprises you is in the intensity of this teamwork. What is very interesting in Campbell’s case is that he looks like he has gained more confidence and authority in his game and in the final third he is a dangerous player and he has shown that. When you look at the player and the number of goals he scores and the number of assists, on that front you must say he has been very positive and he works hard for the team.

"

That hard work is what has endeared Campbell to the Arsenal fans. Tired of watching Walcott trudge back reluctantly and frustrated by the lack of awareness frequently demonstrated by the inexperienced Oxlade-Chamberlain, Campbell’s defensive diligence has been a break of fresh air. He was prepared to match Alexis' relentless pressing game as well as track back to support his full-back when required.

That’s not to suggest he’s a mere workhorse. There’s far more to Campbell’s game than that. When he drifts infield from the right flank, it’s notable how quickly his head darts left and right to look for team-mates bursting into space. Not only does he have the vision to spot a potential through ball, but he also has the technical ability to execute it. The weight of his passing is generally excellent.

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Nevertheless, that has not been enough to fully convince Wenger. Campbell was one of the men who started Arsenal’s ill-fated FA Cup quarter-final tie with Watford on March 13. Although he was hardly culpable in the 2-1 defeat, the Gunners boss seemed to make Campbell one of the scapegoats for the result. He didn’t start another game before the end of the season. In fact, the final two months of the campaign saw him play for just a further 15 minutes.

Clearly, Wenger respects Campbell’s qualities but not sufficiently to make him a regular part of the team. His limited role at the close of the campaign suggested he could be moved on this summer.

However, Campbell’s Arsenal career could once again be spared by an injury to Welbeck. The former Manchester United man suffered another long-term knee injury in May, and he is set to miss most of next season. His absence could convince Wenger to keep Campbell around.

Should the Costa Rican remain at the Emirates Stadium, he will do so in the knowledge his manager clearly does not view him as an important component of the first team. A good squad player can be invaluable in a gruelling campaign, but Campbell’s personal ambitions may extend beyond that. If he wants to play regular football, he may have to move elsewhere.

If Campbell stays, both Wenger and the player must accept the awkward space he occupies: good but not good enough to start every week. That shouldn't be a problem for a club that requires depth to compete on four fronts. However, it may be impossible to keep someone happy when their role will always remain restricted.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.