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It is pleasing to look over the great results that Mick McCarthy has been achieving at Ipswich and to see that his tactics have been paying off.

The worrying part is that other teams have also been pulling off unexpected results.

Normally just over 50 points would be enough for a team to stay up but this season that certainly won’t be the case. In ways the league table still makes for worrying reading as everything is still very open and anything could happen.

Huddersfield sit just inside relegation zone on 47 points, three points behind Ipswich in 17th and just five points above Huddersfield is Birmingham all the way up in 11th position. It is strange to think that in just two or three games the whole bottom half of the table could switch around and no one is safe.

It isn’t great for Ipswich as a slight lapse in concentration, a bit of bad luck or just a dip in form could drag the club into League One. The plus side is that at least 12 teams could easily be dragged into the relegation zone and not all of them will be able to keep winning.

If you are in the relegation zone you have to go out to win every game and hope that someone else slips up somewhere else. However if you are in the Tractor Boys position all you should be doing is concentrating on your own results as technically you do not need any favours from other teams.

The question everybody is now asking is; how many points will it take to stay up and will Ipswich reach that amount? I been saying over the last few weeks that I believe Ipswich won’t be relegated and I still feel as confident about their survival chances right now.

The table does look very worrying but there are enough winnable games left in the fixture list to keep Ipswich up. It might take 56, 57 or even 58 points to avoid relegation this season but that is a points tally that McCarthy’s side can comfortably reach.

The Suffolk side currently sit on 50 points and I can break down why they are likely to pick up at least another eight points. Mick McCarthy has been great at grinding out 0-0 draws away from home recently and has been even better about pulling off surprise wins at Portman Road. Three out of the last four away games have finished 0-0 and five out of the last six home games have been wins.

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There are six games left for Ipswich to play, three at home and three away. The Tractor Boys travel to Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley which are all games where the usual tactics should pay off and earn the team three points at the very least. Home games against Hull, Crystal Palace and Birmingham sound very tricky but with the way the team have been playing recently you would back them to beat almost anyone at Portman Road right now.

I can see Ipswich picking up at least two wins or one win and two draws from those home games, which combined with my prediction for the away games would give the team a total of at least 58 points.

Additionally, looking over the last 11 games Mick McCarthy’s side have picked up 18 points in 11 games, roughly 1.6 points per game. Keeping to that ratio would give Ipswich at least 9 points from the remaining games, which would be enough to survive. For these reasons I do believe that Ipswich will still be a Championship side next season, despite the ever changing Championship league table.

We are now firmly into the business end of the season. With the final international break out of the way, it’s non-stop Premier League football for two months, supplemented with the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League along the way – although unfortunately British interest in the latter will be exclusively as a spectator.

It is now at that point of the year where every club has some crucial decisions to make. Perhaps in a more conventional season, prioritising between tournaments would be much harder, but as it stands, the title race is already over, and every English team has been eliminated from the Champions League, thus giving Manchester City and Chelsea free reign to make the most out of the auxiliary competitions, and similarly Arsenal are now in a position to solely focus on finishing in fourth spot come the final day of the season.

Yet, at White Hart Lane, Andre Villas-Boas has a rather puzzling conundrum about how best to end his inaugural campaign. The Portuguese coach has the chance to match Harry Redknapp’s greatest achievement of pushing Tottenham into the Champions League, or he could pursue his final remaining opportunity to get his hands on some silverware in the Europa League.

In an ideal world, one would say take both. But there is the fear that the pressures of fighting on both fronts, psychologically and physically, may be a challenge too far for a relatively young and inexperienced team and management staff that have only recently been accepted in England as real contenders.

Fulham’s famous continental run that saw them reach the Europa League final came at the price of their domestic form, uncharacteristically dropping to 12th in the table during the 2009/2010 season, having ended up in 7th the year previous and 8th the year after. The situation is rather different for Tottenham, as they are blessed with arguably the best strength in depth in the Premier League, with the exception of their striker department.

Yet there is no denying that the extra potential 15 games Spurs will have played should they reach the final will have an impact on the club, especially considering AVB has not used the continental competition to field rather conservative or rotated teams. Indeed, Gareth Bale has made seven appearances already in the Europa League, bringing his collective total of matches for the season up to 40 when including international duty, and he will certainly be playing a key role in the final rounds of the tournament.

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Similarly, Jan Vertonghen has already made 10 Europa League appearances, as has Aaron Lennon, while midfield dynamo Moussa Dembele has turned out eight times, despite all being rather integral cogs in the Tottenham machine that one would rather protect than expose. The phrase “you don’t get tired when you’re winning” has been bandied about a lot this season, mainly by Ray Wilkins, and indeed Spurs have spent much of the season in winning form, but should a few results not go their way, the Lilywhites stars may find their legs getting very tired very quickly, and the club could undergo their customary burnout period as they often do at the end of the season.

So, would lifting some silverwear, in the form of the Europa League winner’s trophy, be an acceptable price to pay for missing out on a Champions League slot? Or, with this being Spurs best chance to date of finishing as high as 3rd in the Premier League table, the position they are currently in, albeit with Chelsea and Arsenal having a game in hand, would letting the promised land of club football slip by yet again be an abomination for the fans?

Looking at Tottenham’s final run-in of fixtures, on paper there’s no reason why they can’t secure Champions League qualification with seven games to go. Although Everton’s visit to White Hart Lane on Sunday could prove to be a deciding match come the end of the season and their fixture against Manchester City could prove to be difficult, you’d expect Spurs to comfortably record results against Wigan, Southampton, Stoke and Sunderland – then again, match-ups against relegation candidates are always unpredictable at this point in the year.

It all depends on what impetus Andre Villas-Boas puts on winning the Europa League. He’s been incredibly outspoken about the tournament in which the Portuguese coach made his name with Porto, and having already made it into the quarter finals, being given a relatively simple tie against Basel, it is far too late to rank the competition a second priority.

With the exception of their League Cup final win in 2008, the Spurs trophy cabinet has been incredibly bare over the past twenty years, with their previous accolade being another League Cup back in 1999. Lifting the Europa League trophy would certainly give some physical embodiment to Andre Villas-Boas’ successes this season, and furthermore, I believe it would change hostile opinions in England about the Europa League being a second tier tournament. Rather than blemishing Tottenham’s achievements, I think it would boost the reputation of both Spurs and the Europa League domestically, and make a stronger case with UEFA for giving the winners of the tournament a group spot in the Champions League the following year.

However, in a year where power and dominance has shifted in North London, making a success of the Europa League would be very quickly tainted should Arsenal pip Spurs to the post yet again and finish in the final Champions League position. While Tottenham fans can claim having lifted two trophies in the last eight years since the Gunners last won any silverware, maintaining Arsenal’s impressive feat of being ever-present in the Champions League would be a valuable counter argument for any debate over bragging rights between the rival clubs.

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Furthermore, in my opinion, this is the first season where the Lilywhites can rightly claim to possess a first team and squad that is better than Arsenal’s. In Gareth Bale they have an undeniable star player, which is still desperately desired but found absent over the past five years at the Emirates, and similarly, Tottenham’s summer recruits – Hugo Lloris, Moussa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen, have sufficiently raised the quality of the starting XI.

Perhaps the desire to make it into the Champions League wouldn’t be so strong if Arsenal’s position in the table was not so close to Spurs’, with only a point currently separating the two sides of North London.  Winning the Europa League in the first season of what is in many ways a new era for Tottenham would be seen as a noteworthy achievement, even if finishing up in the top four had to be put on hold for another year.

But with the current situation in the domestic table, letting the opportunity to embarrass their local rivals and qualify for the Champions League slip by yet again, will almost certainly make success in the Europa League seem trivial from the perspective of the supporters, even if it is a valuable piece accolade in the eyes of Andre Villas-Boas.

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It took Cesc Fabregas all of two matches to win his first two pieces of silverware with Barcelona. The precursor for what was to come, and what many, including the player, were expecting to be a long career at the Camp Nou.

But it’s been struggles mixed with disappointments for Fabregas. First suffering the frustration of arriving in Spain at the time when Barcelona’s mighty dominance as La Liga champions was broken by Real Madrid, and then watching his idol move on from management in Spain and prepare for another glorious journey elsewhere. Pep Guardiola was a great decider in Fabregas leaving Arsenal when he did; you certainly have to believe that working under the Catalan and in his phenomenal Barcelona side was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Yet like the changing of the tide that came with Sandro Rosell’s presidency, Fabregas has seemingly been washed up into a set of circumstances where he doesn’t have a strong ally at Barcelona, one who specifically will guide him and give him a clearly mapped out course for his future with the club. There is currently far more emphasis on other La Masia products to come into the team, with Sergi Roberto set to make the permanent step up from Barcelona B next season and Thiago Alcantara impressing for the most part.

The obvious struggles that came with the move to Barcelona looked to have been overcome earlier this season. Fabregas was featuring far more in the starting XI, offering the team a far more direct alternative to Xavi. At that time, the numbers and performances suggested Fabregas was the best midfielder in Spain; he was noticeably attempting to reconquer the throne that saw him become one of this generation’s finest at Arsenal.

But the problem for Fabregas at Barcelona is one that had never come up at Arsenal. In fact, should the player return to the Emirates in the future, you have to think that he’d almost immediately take on a similar role and level of importance he had prior to the move. Whoever Arsenal has in their team at the time, and no matter how highly-rated Jack Wilshere is, it may be a long, long time before the club come across someone as inspirational, effective and talented as Fabregas.

Talk of a move back to England has been a subplot to Fabregas’ time in Spain. The player has been moved about the team, occupying roles that would normally be taken up by Xavi, Andres Iniesta or Lionel Messi, but to nowhere near the level of success.

From the wider football perspective, Fabregas just doesn’t work at Barcelona. The speed of thought that comes with those from La Masia hasn’t been lost, but it’s the issue of the player thus far failing to adjust to a system where he is not the centrepiece. For whatever may have been suggested about Fabregas as the natural heir to Xavi, we’re incredibly unlikely to see him as one of the focal points of this team.

And it becomes a great shame to see a player of his class relegated to a position of uncertainty, substitute appearances and a place on the list of potential departures in the near future.

There is a still a great deal of heartbreak attached to his transfer from Arsenal and the events leading up to it. But this is a player who would eventually win his place back at Arsenal should he return, if not for the nostalgia then certainly for his performances. It’s the prospect of throwing him into a team consisting of Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, with Mikel Arteta also in the mix. This Arsenal team have more leaders now than they did when Fabregas left.

You also have to weigh up the likelihood of a move back to Arsenal. Regardless of first-refusals and buy-back options, this is still a player who will cost in or around £30 million – a figure unheard of for the club. Moreover, this is another case of whether Arsene Wenger would explore the path of a former player. The positives are there, however, with Wenger talking about the possibility of a return for Fabregas, as well as the idea of him not being afraid to spend big if the right player becomes available – someone who is better than what the team currently have.

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It’s been two years for Fabregas, with this season culminating in the league title. But nothing has gone to plan for the player. Even if Fabregas isn’t the primary topic of discussion, you feel that Barcelona is planning a future without him. Persistence has seen little in the way of a consistent return, and with the demands and expectations of Barcelona, it seems unlikely they’ll continue down this road for very long of shuffling Fabregas around.

The potential is there for an Arsenal return, with Fabregas acting as a signal of the change in the club’s fortunes in domestic competition. He’s certainly a player that many at the Emirates would welcome back with open arms.

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Southampton look set to complete the transfer of Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama for a record breaking fee of £12.5million according The Guardian.

The fee the South coast club are willing to pay for the midfielder will set a new record as the highest fee received for a player by a Scottish club, and Celtic are set to make a huge profit on a player they bought for just £900,000 in 2011.

Wanyama had initially stalled on the idea of a move to St Mary’s, although no other interest from Premier League clubs materialised in the manner he had hoped, with Premier League new boys Cardiff City the only other side to launch a bid, which Celtic flatly rejected.

Wanyama looks set to be unveiled as Southampton’s latest signing as early as Friday, with the player understood to have already said his goodbyes to his Celtic teammates. He was removed from the Celtic squad that lost 6-2 to German side Greuther Fruth on Tuesday, as he put the finishing touches to his move.

The 22-year-old began attracting attention after some outstanding performances in the Champions League last season, proving an integral part of the side that reached the last 16 of the competition, and who famously triumphed over the mighty Barcelona.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that Luis Suarez’s imminent return from suspension can help to keep his side’s outside shot at the Premier League title alive.

The controversial attacker has been unable to feature for the Reds so far this term due to serving a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of the 2012/13 campaign.

His absence however, hasn’t hindered his team-mates greatly on the field, with the Merseysiders currently top of the table and undefeated in their opening four games.

Suarez is set to sit out his last clash this weekend as Liverpool host Southampton, and Rodgers is hopeful that the return of his talismanic attacker will further boost the club’s title credentials.

“It’s early stages but it keeps the momentum going and in the next couple of weeks we have one of the best strikers in the world coming back,” Rodgers told The Metro.

“You can’t look too much at it [being top] but you’d rather be there than at the bottom and the more you are up there the more aggression and will and desire you have to stay there.

“It’s only four games in, but we’ve had four tough games and we have only lost once in the last 16-odd games so we are getting a level of consistency and that’s the biggest thing for me.

“I believe we will get better and more fluent as the season goes on so we are happy to be there and it gives us the fight to stay there.”

There is some debate as to where Suarez may feature in Rodgers’ team upon his return.

The South American was deployed as the main forward last season – a position in which he narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot – but Daniel Sturridge has made a fine start to the campaign in the same role, netting four league goals already.

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Can Liverpool really challenge for the title? And will Luis Suarez dislodge Daniel Sturridge?

Have your say below!

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The Tottenham Hotspur Supporter’s Trust have demanded chairman Daniel Levy explain his future plans for the club following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, according to Sky Sports.

Villas-Boas became the seventh Tottenham manager to be sacked during the Levy era, following Sunday’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at White Hart Lane.

Tim Sherwood has been installed as interim boss, and will take control of the team for their trip to Southampton on Sunday, but the clubs concerned supporters want Levy to explain the thinking behind the sacking of Villas-Boas.

A statement read: “Following the departure of Andre Villas-Boas on Monday morning and defeat in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday evening, the board of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust believe it is paramount that the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Daniel Levy, issues a statement addressing the supporters to explain the rationale behind the manager’s dismissal and clearly stating his plans moving forward.

“We believe that now, more than at any time during ENIC’s ownership of THFC, the level of frustration and anger being shown by fans renders this request fully warranted. As ever, it is made in the best interests of our club.”

Levy is understood to be considering the long term replacement for Villas-Boas, with Ajax coach Frank de Boer the latest to claim he has been contacted. Fellow Dutchmen Guus Hiddink and Ronald Koeman have also been linked, whilst FC Basel coach Murat Yakin also claimed he had been contacted.

Sherwood has also refused to rule himself out of the running for the full time job.

“I need to chat to the chairman and see what they’re thinking but the immediate future is up in the air,” he said.

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The utterly detestable issue of racism reared its ugly head once more last week. Rather than lauding Manchester City’s courageous 2-1 victory out in Moscow, we are instead talking more about happenings off the pitch than on it.

Premier League star, Yaya Toure, among others was subjected to malicious and totally despicable monkey chants throughout much of the match, something that has no place in society let alone football. Indeed much of the abuse originated from Sector D of the Stadium Khimki, an area which has since been forced to close for one game following UEFA’s condemnation of the events.

This is a major step for UEFA who have in the past been content to fine clubs rather than tackle the issue head on. A fine of a few thousand pounds has often been perceived as meaningless considering the financial power of so many of the offending clubs. UEFA’s new protocol is to close part of the stadium on first offence, close the whole stadium for a secondary offence and finally exclude or dock points third time round.

Although the closure of part of the ground may seem a lax punishment, many of the offenders will probably just sit in another area, what it does do is send out a clear message to rest of the world. The stigma attached to a banning order is not just detrimental to CSKA but also to the whole of Russian sport.

With the Winter Olympics in Sochi on the horizon and the World Cup in 2018, the eyes of the world will be on Russia. The events of the last fortnight will come as a huge embarrassment to a nation keen to use these sporting events to elevate their countries reputation. All that is happening of late is that Russia, along with much of Easter Europe, is getting an, albeit generalised, reputation of being an area that tolerates this kind of behaviour.

The fact that the UEFA venue director didn’t hear or recognise the monkey chants even after the referee and fourth official had told him to follow protocol and make a stadium announcement just further emphasises the cultural problem here.

UEFA have since made the following announcements from Nyon regarding the incident: 

“The Uefa venue director at the Arena Khimki has been relieved of his duties.”

“The venue director acted inappropriately, though in good faith,’’ Uefa said.

Failure to follow protocol will be a lesson to other venue directors and represents a much tougher line taken by UEFA on the issue. However, it like so many other initiatives doesn’t tackle the root cause.

There is evidently a cultural problem in many of the former Soviet states, there is a degree of acceptability surrounding this kind of behaviour and if these associations want to be embraced by UEFA things need to change fast.

I think it was Stan Collymore who hit the nail on the head when he suggested that although UEFA’s line was harder, it isn’t a ploy that will ever stop the offenders from being racist. I’m not speaking from experience but clearly a partial stadium closure is unlikely to change someone’s inherent state of mind.

Like so many things the answer lies in education, starting from school level children need to be taught about diversity and inclusivity. Their despicable social norms about treating certain citizens as second-class, because that is what racism for me embodies, need to be eradicated.

Isolated cases of racism are sadly always likely to exist, in a crowd of people you will always get one idiot, but when there is a general culture of discrimination then there really is work that can be done.

The eyes of the world will be in Russia and steps must be taken if they want to avoid the ignominy of a continuation of this trend.

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UEFA’s line whilst not perfect definitely represents an improvement on their sanctions of the past. Full stadium closure and points deductions should prompt clubs into action, action which in my view should be about changing cultural norms above all else.

Hopefully there will come a point when we can focus on the football, rather than the hideous sideshows so often encountered by clubs in Eastern Europe.

Is this a small step towards a solution from UEFA?

Join the debate below

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Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk winger Yevhen Konoplyanka says that he has put the frustration of his failed January move to Liverpool in the past ahead of tonight’s meeting with Tottenham in the Europa League.

The Ukrainian star was expected to make a deadline day switch to Anfield last month, but after much confusion the transfer fell through.

Konoplyanka was said to have agreed personal terms and conducted a medical with the Merseysiders, yet the deal was not processed after it was alleged that his club dragged their feet over payment issues – something that has been publicly denied by both sides.

Tonight will present the 24-year-old wide-man with his first opportunity to demonstrate his skills to English fans since the saga, and ‘Kono’ says that he has put it all in the past.

“Everything that happened is in the past,” he told The Express.

“There is a good saying ‘everything is for the best’ – all we have to do is concentrate on the game for tomorrow, that is all.

“It doesn’t influence my game tomorrow and if the coach finds it possible to put me in the team I will do all I can – all I have to think about is that game.

“It is a good chance for any player to play against a team like that. It is a better motivation for us to play tomorrow and do our best.”

Dnipro’s manager Juande Ramos – a former Spurs coach – also spoke of Konoplyanka’s proposed Liverpool move, claiming that he was not surprised to see it collapse.

“It is a normal situation when the market is open and there are rumours about the possible transfers,” Ramos said.

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“Some take place, some do not, they don’t have the right to decide to move or not.”

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To nobody’s great surprise, after spending several months boasting about his Premier League win record being better than any of his White Hart Lane predecessors and producing a range of diction that would be better suited to a North London boozer, it was announced last week that Tottenham had dispensed the services of former manager Tim Sherwood.

Equally as unsurprising, the names in the hat for the Lane vacancy are Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino, Ajax’s Frank de Boer and former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, now with Italian Cup winners Napoli. Sherwood had been asked to comment on the candidacies of all three in recent weeks, whilst Daniel Levy remained tellingly silent throughout.

Having burnt through eight permanent managers during his thirteen-year chairmanship in North London, including two this season alone, the ultimate test for the next Tottenham manager will be staying power. It’s no coincidence that the Lilywhites’ strongest Premier League finishes to date have come under Levy’s two longest-serving managers, Harry Redknapp and Martin Jol, whilst the Spurs support begin to fear that their chairman’s regular changes in the dugout, often blurring the line between cut-throat and knee-jerk decision-making, has stifled the club’s potential.

But the Premier League management racket is changing for the worse – the twelve managers to lose their jobs this season is a new record. Rather than any notion of long-term planning, the name of the game is now all about survival; if your first twelve games don’t produce impressive results, or at least signs that they might be just around the corner, then it’s unlikely you’ll last the next twelve without being handed your P45.

At Tottenham, regardless of who the next manager might be, survival will largely depend on the successes and failings of three players – Paulinho, Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado.

These are by no means the most important players on the White Hart Lane roster. Rather, the top priority this summer will be convincing Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris to ignore the allure of bigger clubs who can offer Champions League football, whilst if there’s one positive to take from an otherwise wasted Lilywhites campaign, it’s that summer signing Christian Eriksen can be a talismanic entity for the North Londoners in the many seasons to come.

Paulinho, Soldado and Lamela, however, constitute the three most expensive signings in Tottenham’s history, all sourced last summer for £17million, £26million and £30million fees respectively, all breaking Spurs’ record transfer fees accordingly upon their White Hart Lane arrivals.

None of the deals have particularly worked out for Spurs. Paulinho has found six goals from midfield, but the Brazilian is yet to take a game by the scruff of the neck and has hardly had the influence many expected in the Premier League. Likewise, Soldado, despite a prolific reputation at former club Valencia, has found just two goals from open play in his first Premier League season and has looked disturbingly alien to the ferociously physical style of the English top flight.

And most troublingly of all, club record signing Erik Lamela has managed just three Premier League starts since his move from Roma last summer. Injuries have played a significant role, but in truth, the Argentine prodigy has rarely looked interested in a Tottenham jersey.

But if there’s one thing we know for certain about Daniel Levy, it’s that money is often at the heart of his decision-making. Andre Villas-Boas was made to pay the price for not getting the best out of Tottenham’s £110million-worth of summer spending, and by no huge coincidence, Sherwood was axed after essentially ignoring the three biggest signings of Spurs’ history for the second half of the season. Paulinho losing his place in the starting XI to rookie Nabil Bentaleb must have caused the Tottenham chairman cardiac palpitations.

Regardless of who the next Lilywhites manager is, regardless of the fact that he had no influence on Tottenham’s transfer policy from summer 2013, regardless of the stale starts to Paulinho’s, Soldado’s and Lamela’s Premier Leagues career and the possibility that they simply might not suit the style of the English top flight, Levy will expect better performances from all three next season – and that buck will eventually stop in the dugout.

After all, this is £73million-worth of talent on the line at a club that can’t boast the financial benefits of Champions League football. In comparison, Liverpool spent £50million on transfers last summer and finished in second, Everton spent £24million and finished in fifth and Southampton spent £36million to finish in eighth. In terms of cost-effectiveness, with the exception of Manchester United, Spurs’ transfer dealings from summer 2013 leaves them lagging far behind their divisional counterparts.

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And although Tottenham’s summer of unprecedented spending power was offset by a number of lucrative departures, most notably Gareth Bale’s £87million move to Real Madrid, the opportunity to invest £110million in an already-strong squad isn’t one the footballing gods will hand to the Lilywhites again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime deal and although Tottenham’s first season with their costly cast may have gone to waste, there’s still time for Levy and Spurs to receive value-for-money from their huge investment.

That will be the defining test for the next Tottenham manager. Results of course, will be important. But that wasn’t enough to save Sherwood’s job and Levy needs his signings to work – or else, it will be conclusive that Spurs’ audacious summer 2013 window has in fact moved the club further away from its ultimate aim of Champions League football. Should that be the case, then Levy, rather than his managers, will begin to fear his own state of employment.

Bearing in mind the old adage of allowing a year to settle, improving the form of Soldado, Paulinho and Lamela next season may not be as troubling a task as expected. When choosing between Pochettino, de Boer and Benitez this summer however, their plans for the three biggest signings in Tottenham’s history will undoubtedly play on Levy’s mind more than any credentials they offer, because eventually, it will be what the Lilywhites chairman  judges them upon.

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Joel Campbell has called on Arsene Wenger to give him a chance at Arsenal as he believes he’s “good enough” to be in the club’s first-team.

The Costa Rican forward built on his burgeoning reputation at the World Cup as he helped his side to a shock first ever quarter-final appearance.

Despite arriving at the Emirates Stadium in 2011, Campbell is yet to make an official appearance for the north London side, with work permit issues having forced the 22-year-old away on numerous loan deals.

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He was initially sent to Lorient before playing for Real Betis and Olympiakos last season – for whom he netted a stunning Champions League goal against Manchester United.

On the back of his improvements and eligibility to play in the Premier League, the young striker says that he’s ready to take any chance given to him by his manager:

“The Premier League’s the most interesting in the world and I’ve always wanted to play here. It’s my dream. And I believe I’m good enough,” he is quoted by The Metro.

“I’ve played around 100 games in three different divisions in Europe. Lorient in France, Real Betis in Spain and Olympiakos in Greece, where I played Champions League too.

“I’m confident of being successful in any division in the world.”

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Wenger may yet opt to send Campbell away on loan again, with Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa keen, as well as European clubs including Galatasaray.

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