Arsenal forward Joel Campbell has insisted that his loan spells away from the club have helped him to become a better player.

The Costa Rica international has failed to cement a starting spot at Arsenal since joining the club from Saprissa in 2011.




As a result, he has often found himself away from the Emirates Stadium on temporary deals.

Campbell was immediately sent out on a season-long loan deal to French club Lorient after joining the Gunners.
 


The 23-year-old spent the next two campaigns on similar deals at Real Betis and Olympiacos respectively.

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Campbell enjoyed a successful World Cup campaign last year and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger decided to keep him at the club at the start of the 2014/15 campaign.

However, the Costa Rican joined La Liga outfit Villarreal in January after he found opportunities hard to come by at the north London club.

And the forward, who can also play out wide on the wings, explained that he found his loan stints very helpful.

“I really enjoyed my loan spells at Lorient, Betis, Olympiacos and more recently at Villarreal”, Campbell told Arsenal Player.

“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.

“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.”

Campbell, whose contract with Arsenal is set to expire next summer, has thus far made 17 appearances for the club, scoring just once.