Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed that Joel Campbell's fighting spirit is the reason why he did not loan him out during the summer.

The Costa Rica winger, who has been farmed out to five different clubs in total since joining the Gunners in 2011, has been afforded more chances in the first team in recent weeks following injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey.

The 23-year-old was heavily linked with a move away during the transfer window, but Wenger reveals that he "smelt" something special in Campbell's attitude toward a fight.

"This season I didn't want to loan him out because he has a genuine team attitude and he's a fighter," he told Arsenal's official website.

"What you want from him is to bring more offensively when he plays. Recently he has shown that when he is confident he can produce the offensive quality and also be reliable with his team attitude.

"He's a fighter so that's great for us. I smelt something with him that is very interesting. He's creative. I could see that but the creativity is linked with the confidence. You open your eyes when you feel really free to take the initiative."

Campbell has netted one competitive goal for the North Londoners.