Joel Campbell hopes for long-term future at Arsenal after starting appearance in Spurs draw

Arsenal forward Joel Campbell is determined to keep taking his opportunities under Arsene Wenger to achieve his "dream" to establish himself at the Emirates Stadium. The French boss recently revealed that the Costa Rica international wanted to leave the club during the summer transfer window but, after starting his fourth game in a row during the Saturday 7 November's 1-1 draw against Tottenham, the player expressed his hopes to have a long-term future at the club.

The 23-year-old forward moved to North London in the summer of 2011 as a prospect of the future but was sent on loan to Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos during three consecutive seasons in order to continue his development. Wenger recalled him in the summer of 2014, following an impressive World Cup campaign, but after being overlooked during the first part of the season, he moved on loan again to Villarreal during the January transfer window.

Wenger recently revealed that Campbell considered leaving the club again in the summer as he felt his situation at the Emirates Stadium was unlikely to change. The French boss, however, convinced him to stay and the recent injury crisis at the club is giving him a new chance to prove his worth.

Asked by IBTimes UK about his future at the club and the summer rumours, Campbell said: "No (I didn't want to move). I'm here at Arsenal, I am very happy. I keep fighting for my dream and I think I still have a long-term future here."

"Obviously a player always wants to play but in a team which has so many quality players like Arsenal, you need to be patient and taking the chance when it arrives."

Campbell failed to feature in the first 10 Premier League games of the campaign but following the injuries of Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, he has managed to start the last four games against Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea, Bayern Munich and Tottenham − scoring a goal against the Wales side, while being one of the best performers of the Gunners against Spurs.

But questioned whether this will be enough to remain in the line-up when the injured stars recover, he said: "In football, you never know."

"I try to do my best and then the manager will decide who plays. I am trying to take the opportunity but then the manager has to assess how I'm doing," he said. "I'm happy [for having played again against Tottenham] but we wanted to win. I'm still working and trying to seize the opportunities that the boss is giving me. Every opportunity is invaluable to me and I am trying to give my best."

The Costa Rica international, meanwhile, hailed the point secure in the North London derby, while he hopes the likes of Ramsey and Chamberlain return to action as soon as possible to help the team to secure their targets, despite the fact that this may once again restrict his opportunities to play.

"Now we have the international break. Players are recovering from injuries and that will be very important for the team [ahead of the Christmas busy period]," he said. "We showed a good level in the second half against Tottenham. We made every effort to equalise the game and we did it. Playing at home and in a derby, we wanted to win the point is positive. We are still topping the Premier League with Manchester City, but...there is still a long way to go."