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Hello all. In the broader scheme of things at the club, this is not big news, but having followed it all the way I wanted to carry on the story: Costa Rican striker Joel Campbell has confirmed he will fly to England on Sunday, when he is expected to sign for Arsenal.
Campbell gave the news to website EverardoHerrera.com, who initially broke the news of Arsenal’s interest. Although Campbell has not yet explicitly confirmed that Arsenal are his destination, he laughed and joked with the presenters when wished luck wearing the red and white shirt of the Gunners – and confirmed to journalists off-record that he would be joining Arsenal during the u-20 World Cup.
He is saving the announcement itself for a press conference which will be held by his club, Deportivo Saprissa, at 1am UK-time. Spanish speakers among you can listen to the interview here.
Arsenal would like the player to become part of the first team squad immediately, but that will be dependent on whether or not he receives a work permit. There are some rumours flying round that he has Irish grandparents: he doesn’t. He is as Irish as Ryo Miyaichi (ie. not very), so like the Japanese winger would most likely have to be awarded an ‘extraordinary talent visa’. There is also a rumour you cannot only make one application for an extraordinary talent visa per season; this is also untrue. It’s one application per season per individual, if that makes any sense. Anyway, Campbell will have his day before the FA panel, and that will decide whether he stays in England or goes out elsewhere on loan. His caps for Costa Rica will certainly stand him in good stead.
“Joel Campbell has already shown that he is a player with great ability, and has also performed well on the international stage at a young age. We look forward to the formalities of the transfer being completed and working with Joel when he joins us at Arsenal.”
Why have the club chosen to announce the deal now? Well, partly because they knew the press conference in Costa Rica was about to steal their thunder somewhat. But there is an amusing sub-plot: Barcelona officials are currently waiting in their offices for an email confirming the deal for Cesc after the clubs reached verbal agreement this morning.
Catalan journalists close to the club have told me that Barca leaked news of an agreement and are now left feeling embarrassed and concerned that an official agreement has not been forthcoming. Arsenal, meanwhile, are presumably enjoying making them suffer a little. Announcing Campbell now shows we have staff on call – we’re just letting them stew.
I actually went to bed some hours ago, but was struck by a bout of insomnia. Giving up on the idea of sleep, I turned on my laptop. Turns out my tossing and turning was predestined, for it can only be that I was meant to find out that Joel Campbell has finally agreed to join Arsenal. It’s a transfer I’ve followed for some time, and now it looks as if it’s approaching its conclusion.
After quoting the President of Campbell’s club, Saprissa, as saying that negotiations were still ongoing, Costa Rican news channel Teletica have now confirmed an agreement is in place.
Campbell himself declared his happiness and thanked his family for their sacrifices to help him to get where he is – although his father’s dubious negotiating tactics looked, at one point, to have scuppered any deal.
For any Spanish speakers among you, a video of interviews with the coaching staff and Campbell himself can be found here.
It remains to be seen whether or not Campbell would be awarded a work permit or whether he would move to La Liga on loan.
“Who is Messi? Who is Neymar? Gentlemen of the press – I present to you: Campbell. I discovered him playing with cans.”
Ricardo La Volpe, Costa Rica manager
“I have to handle things calmly and wait for the opportunity. Who would not want to play for Arsenal? That’s what I work for but as yet nothing is clear. I am calm: I leave everything in God’s hands.”
God and, of course, Arsenal executive Richard Law, who is currently in Costa Rica attempting to strike a deal amid rumours of interest from Spain’s big two, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Fiorentina, Lazio and Atalanta in Italy.
So just who is this 19-year old striker? Well he comes highly recommended by former Mexico and Boca Juniors manager, and current Costa Rica boss, Ricardo La Volpe, who said of the prodigy:
“Who is Messi? Who is Neymar? Gentlemen of the press – I present to you: Campbell. I discovered him playing with cans.”
La Volpe is being unduly theatrical. But if Campbell does move to the Premier League this summer, it will signal a remarkable rise.
The name ‘Campbell’ will be familiar to Arsenal fans – messrs Sulzir and Kevin have worn it on the back of their shirts before. In an interview with FIFA.com, Campbell explained his nominative origins:
“I was born in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, although my family is from the English-speaking area of Limon, which explains my surname, and I’m the third of four children.”
A virtual unknown at the start of the year, the lightening-quick striker rose to prominence after a series of outstanding performances at the CONCACAF qualifying competition for the Under 20 World Cup which will take place in August.
His direct style has drawn comparisons with Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o. Campbell describes his own style thus:
“I’m clever, fast and good on the ball, though I think I’m at my best in one-on-one situations.
Ronaldo has always been my idol and role model but I don’t think I’m like him, Eto’o or anyone. I try to take the things they’re each good at and learn from them. I watch what they do in the pitch and try to put it into practice.”
If a deal does go ahead, it’s unclear as to whether or not Campbell would immediately join up with Arsenal’s first-team squad or head out on loan to gain first-team experience or indeed qualify for a work permit.
The outcome of the negotiations should be clear in the next few days – Arsenal will be keen to complete a deal before the U-20 World Cup kicks off at the end of the month.
Reputable Costa Rican website EverardoHerrera reports that Arsenal executive Richard Law has arrived in Costa Rica to negotiate the signing of 19-year old striker Joel Campbell.
The following video shows Richard Law arriving in Costa Rica to meet with the player’s representatives:
For the non-Spanish speakers among you, the agent says something like:
“When you have to know what has happened, or what didn’t happen, then we’ll speak. I don’t want to speak too soon, in a hurry. That’s all I can say at the moment. If we are here, it’s because there is interest, of course. OK?”*
Law plays an increasingly prominent part in Arsenal’s transfer negotiations – more so than Chief Exec Ivan Gazidis. It was Law who travelled to South America to negotiate a deal for Ricky Alvarez, only for the player to choose Inter at the last moment.
So what of Campbell? Well, he’s a 19-year old left-footed centre-forward, nicknamed “The Panther”, who can also operate on the flanks. His pace, movement, and finishing ability have seen him likened to Manchester United’s Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, and he has been one of the stars of Costa Rica’s Copa America campaign, scoring and assisting in their 2-0 win over Bolivia.
It is this performance that has probably firmed up Arsenal’s interest. Prior to the tournament, Campbell was heavily linked with clubs in La Liga and Serie A. Now it seems Arsenal have made their move.
Campbell’s club, Saprissa, are keen for a deal to be agreed as the player’s contract expires in 2012. Campbell himself would like to tie up any move before Costa Rica’s U-20 World Cup campaign begins in Colombia on July 31st.
Here’s a video of the lad in action:
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*Thanks to my bro for assistance with translation, and Jamie Dalton for the heads up on the article.
