Chem Campbell: Should He Stay At Reading Or Should He Go?
The Wolves loanee has started to improve in recent weeks following a slow start at Reading.
The summer seems a long time ago now. The days have gotten a lot shorter, the weather a lot colder, the nights darker, and yet the wheels of Reading FC continue to keep turning despite, well, you know.
One of the other disappointments of the summer for the club was the lack of transfer activity. This is a team and a squad seriously lacking in depth. Having lost Clinton Mola in the summer, alongside Tom Holmes and Paul Mukairu returning to Luton Town and FC Copenhagen respectively, we desperately needed more depth in the team. Instead, we saw Femi Azeez leave the club.
This move came, I think, with mixed feelings for the fans. On the one hand, Azeez is one of our own and was a key player, an ever-present, for us last season. We just don’t have anyone else like him in the side – left-footed, attacking, quick and with experience, despite his relative youth. On the other hand, with one year left on his contract, it was unlikely he was going to sign an extension, so to get (what was rumoured to be) in the region of £1 million for him was a good bit of financial business for us.
Being able to secure the short-term loan signing of Chem Campbell late in the window was good news for the side, but a double-edged sword. Again, on the one hand, here is a player who – despite being right footed – is largely similar in age and playing style to Azeez.
Being able to play on the left too, he demonstrates versatility and also League One know-how, having spent two spells with Wycombe Wanderers previously. It is also said that he had been extensively scouted during the summer, and usually these days, we make our transfer dealings count through diligent homework.
However, he’s young, he was coming into a team that all know each other well after both the bonding experience of last year and academy playing time together for many of them, and he came in as the ONLY signing of the window. That’s a tough situation for any player to walk into.
Campbell’s been with us now for three months, maybe a little more, and I am honestly still not sure what to make of him. Perhaps it is harsh to judge him at this point, but the reality is, as things stand, he will depart the club to return to Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 5 when his loan expires. His stay is drawing to a close, and the time will soon arrive when conclusions will be getting drawn on his time in RG2.
Certainly he struggled to settle into the team during the first few games, and there was also a feeling that he was taking away valuable playing time from players such as Adrian Akande, who was just beginning to break through from the academy after a strong season there last year. Campbell’s performances left a lot to be desired, although his work rate didn’t, and it looked like this move was set to fail.
But here’s the thing – he’s getting better. Slowly, but you can see it. Each game, the number of mistakes made seem to be dropping, and he appears to be growing in the understanding of his role within the team.
In the recent game against Harborough Town he came off the bench to score two goals and spare our blushes. It’s not the first time he’s notched a brace for us, having also done so against Burton Albion, and he has also been a provider – four assists in his 17 matches in all competitions, to go with the five goals scored. That’s not a bad return.
I get the sense with Campbell of something like another name I previously mentioned – Clinton Mola. His redemption arc last season was quite special to see and well versed in recent folklore of the team. I really feel we are starting to see Campbell go on this similar journey – from seeming to be a poor fit in the team to developing a playing style that suits the team and supports his development.
I kind of like having Campbell around. I know what I’ll get with him: one moment of brilliance, followed by another that makes you put your head in your hands with exasperation.
However, his presence is reassuring. I like how hard he works for the team, and I like how he actually seems to care about this team as well. He speaks well in interviews and always makes the effort to stand up and be counted. Having him around is a nice safety blanket.
While we have the talents of Mamadi Camara and Akande out wide too, with Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan to return from injury and the tantalising prospect of seeing what Andre Garcia could do out wide, as well as Harvey Knibbs recently filling in, we do have depth in this area of the pitch.
Just not experience. In fact, Campbell is probably the most experienced of all these players, other than Knibbs, in terms of game time – both in first-team football generally and in League One specifically.
I’m excited to see how he can kick on this season – I sense he is a success story waiting to happen. The question is, though, will he stay? Do we have the funds to extend his contract until the end of the season? Would he really want to stay any longer if given the chance? And if he leaves, have we invested time in someone without really reaping the rewards?
The reality is that we aren’t going to sign anyone else, the way things are. Reading have been good at maximising available resources this season and last, and you can’t help but feel that a player with nine goal involvements in 17 games for a new side has more potential to be tapped into, that Noel Hunt could maximise.
The future isn’t clear with regard to what will happen when January 5 arrives, but let’s hope Campbell gets the chance to finish what he has started with us. The best is yet to come from him.