Arsenal and Costa Rica star Joel Campbell has admitted that the several loan spells that he went on before making his first appearance for Arsenal this season helped massively in the progression of his career.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, the 23-year-old admitted that he enjoyed his time abroad and believes that he wouldn’t be the player that he is today without his various loan spells.
I really enjoyed my loan spells at Lorient, Betis, Olympiacos and more recently at Villarreal. Those experiences really helped me in terms of my personality and as life experience. They were great times for me.
I had a great coach in Christian Gourcuff [at Lorient] and learnt a lot of things from him. It was like my first lesson here in Europe, I was happy and enjoyed it to the full. It’s an important part of who I am today.
Betis also treated me really well, the fans were amazing and I have to say I really enjoyed my stay there. The team had a great season and the fans were right behind the team and me personally so I’ll never forget my time there.
Before making his first appearances for Arsenal this season, Campbell spent time at Lorient, Real Betis, Olympiacos and Villarreal, racking up 123 appearances and scoring 17 goals. However, Campbell believes that his time with the Greek side was the most beneficial to his career as it boosted his confidence and offered the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League.
At Olympiacos I had lots of confidence – the coach, Michel, gave me a lot of confidence and made me an important player in the team, which I was able to make the most of. I was a more mature player by that point too as I’d been in Europe for two years and that was really important for me.
At the moment, Arsenal have 11 players out on loan, and after his experiences abroad, Campbell believes that their opportunities will benefit them hugely in the long-run.
Life is about experiences.
It’s important to have had those experiences and I’m really happy about them. I enjoy it because as I said life is about having different experiences and now being here in the Premier League is another experience I’m enjoying, especially playing for a club like Arsenal.
I would advise young players to make the most of the loan and to enjoy it. They should try to test themselves as footballers and people and do as well as they can so that they can come back to their parent club and be able to play.
