After 7 years at Arsenal, Joel Campbell has finally left the club to move to Italian Serie A club Frosinone as announced on Arsenal.com.
The Costa Rican player joined Arsenal after an impressive World Cup in 2010. He joined from his home country’s Deportivo Saprissa who are one of the top teams in the Costa Rican league.
The forward joined the Gunners at the age of 20, and upon arrival, he appeared a bright young talent, disappointingly though, Campbell has only made 40 first team appearances for the North London side, scattered across his several years at the club.
Instead of playing at the Emirates, the player spent the large majority of his time for Arsenal on loan at clubs like Lorient, Olympiakos, Villarreal and Sporting Lisbon as well as playing two seasons at La Liga side Real Betis.
Although some may argue he wasn’t first team material, it does feel a waste for a player to spend as many years as Campbell did at Arsenal while never getting a real chance to shine.
The largest amount of playing time the forward got was in the 2015/16 season where he made 19 appearances and managed to score 3 goals for the club.
Although struggling for a first-team place at Arsenal, the Costa Rica international gained an impressive 79 caps and 15 goals for his country as a regular first-team player.
Arsenal announced the move on Friday and a statement on arsenal.com read: “We would like to thank Joel for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future.”
It is expected the 26-year-old will be a key player for the recently promoted Frosinone. The deal for Campbell to leave comes among a wave of departures from Arsenal, with players like Stephen Mavididi leaving the club and David Ospina being heavily linked with a loan deal away.
