According to BBC Sport, Joel Campbell has completed the switch to Spanish oufit Villarreal on loan, whereas the Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista has made a switch to the Emirates. Campbell recently tweeted a picture of him holding a Villareal scalf to confirm the move, after being on the bench for a long time with the Gunners. The Costa Rican international has finally joined the Spanish club on loan until the end of the season, after months of speculations about a move away from the Emirates. His temporary move has been on the cards for months now, part of Arsenal’s deal for Paulista.
Gracias a la afición del Villarreal por el recibimiento. Voy a dar lo mejor de mi pic.twitter.com/P7mk2bXDzG
— Joel Campbell (@joel_campbell12) January 28, 2015
Campbell who joined Arsenal in 2011, has been loan to various European clubs since then, including Greek Champions Olympiacos in the 2013-2014 season. He had caught the attention of the world-wide audience with his energetic performances against Manchester United in the Uefa Champions League, despite his side being knocked out on aggregate. The player who made an impact for Costa Rica at the World Cup was unable to make any sort of major impact on Arsene Wenger and was on the bench most of the time, during his spell at the Emirates.
The Gunners had certain doubts whether Paulista would be able to play in the Premier League or not with work permit issues. The doubts have now been cleared as the uncapped Brazilian has been granted a work permit after going through the FA’s “exceptional talent” guidelines. The 24-year old is Arsenal’s second January signing, after Polish teenager Krystian Bielik joined them last week.