Sol Campbell set to sign Arsenal deal in shock return

[Elano]

Sol Campbell is set to complete a surprise return to Arsenal in the next few days after he played 45 minutes for their reserves against West Ham.

The 35-year-old former England defender has been a free agent since being released from his contract with League Two side Notts County in December.

The Gunners have said he played in the 4-2 win "with a view to a permanent move back to Arsenal Football Club".

"I hope to sign for Arsenal until the end of the season," said Campbell.

"I need to get minutes under my belt, a couple of reserve games at least, before I can start looking any further ahead.

"There are still a few technicalities to iron out but it's fantastic, great, marvellous

"I'm ecstatic to be back and I have worked hard to get there. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not stupid. He wouldn't have taken me back if he didn't like what he has seen."

Campbell played only one game for Notts County after leaving Portsmouth.

The former Tottenham and Portsmouth defender joined the Magpies in August, with the involvement of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson a key factor in persuading him to drop down to League Two.

However, he left less than a month into a five-year deal but after being strongly linked with a move to Championship leaders Newcastle, Campbell now seems set for a return to north London.

He eased himself back into competitive football by playing for only the first half of the reserve match before being replaced by Ignasi Miquel, with there being no suggestion Campbell was injured.

Campbell, who was capped 73 times by England and played at two World Cups, was keen to resume his career as quickly as possible after settling his contract dispute with the Magpies.

It is understood offers were also on the table from Hull and Newcastle but Arsenal were always Campbell's first choice and he is still held in high regard by Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.

"He has a fantastic attitude and good fitness," said Wenger last week.

"Of course he is not the youngest but he is in a very good shape. He can still play in the Premier League, I've said that many times

"He is important in the dressing room as well. He's positive with the young players. Every year we have one or two like that and I think a Premier League club will sign him."

Campbell spent five years at Arsenal between 2001-2006, during which time he won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and scored in the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona.

Wenger's decision to bring back the veteran defender, who will provide cover for Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas along with 32-year-old Mikael Silvestre, will cast further doubt over the future of Philippe Senderos, who told BBC Sport he is keen to leave the club in pursuit of first team football.

Campbell's potential return has been welcomed by Arsenal great Bob Wilson.

"In a nutshell he is a great professional and has got massive experience," former goalkeeper Wilson told BBC Sport.

"He is very much a winner, single-minded and he certainly loves Arsenal and the way they go about doing things."

Wilson also allayed fears that the centre-back is too slow to compete again at the highest level.

"The first yard is in your brain and it's not a long term signing for Arsenal," he added.

"He's been training with Arsenal since leaving Notts County, is very fit, the guys love having him around and I think the bottom line is Arsene likes having him around."

[Elano]

When Sol Campbell departed the outpost of Morecambe's Christie Park  after a single game for Notts County, it looked like the curtain had come down on his career at elite level.

The one-time England defender immediately cut his losses on a lucrative contract - while Notts County put the embarrassing collapse of a deal signed amid great fanfare in context by claims Campbell "could not adjust to the long-term nature of the project under way."

This was easy-to-decipher code for Campbell realising he had dropped a massive clanger and hardly the scene-setter for a return to the Premier League, least of all at The Emirates.

Campbell, for such a low-key figure, has a flair for the unpredictable, but his return to Arsenal would not have been on anyone's radar when he quit Notts County in September.

The short-term deal he will sign at the Gunners goes against all of manager Arsene Wenger's main principles. Never sign a player you have previously sold. Never sign a player who has been in football exile and is now in his mid-30s.

Indeed, Wenger himself emphatically ruled out any idea of a deal in October. He is, however, a pragmatist as well as principled - and if you piece all the parts of this deal together, it makes perfect sense.

If Manchester City's capture of Patrick Vieira, another ex-Arsenal veteran, on a six-month contract worth a reported £140,000-a-week has logic behind it, then Wenger's decision to break a couple of his own unwritten rules of management to accommodate Campbell has even more to recommend it.

Campbell's return must immediately be placed in its proper context. He is not being brought back to play regularly. He is not being signed as the centrepiece of some grand future plan. He is at the Emirates to provide experienced cover for the established central defensive partnership of William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen.

He may offer this crucial pairing some respite in an FA Cup tie, but Wenger will not have pencilled him in as a starter. Campbell will bring insurance to an area where Arsenal need cover, and is someone Wenger knows and trusts to do a job on this strictly short-term basis.

Campbell will not have the burst of pace of old, but experience counts for plenty in the crucial defensive areas, especially when it comes to positioning. He may have lost speed, but he will not have lost the knowhow picked up over a long and successful career at the top for club and country.

Those airing doubts about Campbell's fitness for the job in the Premier League should consider this fact. He has been watched by Wenger on a daily basis for three months in training with Arsenal following his decision to leave Notts County.

There is no bigger stickler for fitness in the game than Wenger. He monitors the minutest detail about his players' physical well-being, and Campbell has been working with Arsenal fitness coach Tony Colbert before being given this unexpected opportunity.

The word out of London Colney is that Campbell has proved himself to be in outstanding condition, and if Wenger did not believe he was fit for purpose, he would not get a contract. Simple.

Wenger has also shown a willingness to work with, and appreciate, the quality of older players such as David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Steve Bould. He has never trusted solely to youth.

Campbell is also a proud and single-minded man. He will not want to risk embarrassment at a club where he won Premier League and FA Cups. And he will surely be adrenalin-fuelled simply by the buzz he will get from being back at Arsenal.

He will also be a player with a point to prove. Campbell will not want the final curtain on an outstanding career to be a 2-1 defeat at Morecambe in English football's lower reaches. He now has the opportunity to give himself a more fitting finale, although this is a chance he will barely be able to believe after his Notts County experience.

And as Martin Keown, another player whose career was extended by Wenger's meticulous regime, pointed out, central defenders can - in some instances - emulate some goalkeepers by getting better with age.

It all points to this being a wise move by Wenger, even if it flies in the face of his traditional, and invariably rigid, transfer policy.

And what about what Campbell can offer away from the pitch? He is a natural leader, someone who has the experience to offer sensible counsel to the younger members of an Arsenal squad that is yet to reach full maturity.

Campbell knows what it takes to win trophies - and do not forget his experience of doing so is more recent than Arsenal's after winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008. This will also have been a factor for Wenger before deciding to re-sign Campbell.

He can help Arsenal's essentially youthful team discover what it takes to make the push from potential to finished product when it comes to silverware.

Campbell's comeback is a dream move for the player. It is also a perfect fit for Wenger and Arsenal.

[Lunatic]

LMAO, Arsenal is desperate I see. LOL at Sol Campbell at 35. I'm sure he's diminished more than quite a bit. I like my Porto's chances in advancing 

[wcsoldier]

No wonder why Arsenal has not won shit for 4 years with that wack ass recruitment policy from Wenger .... the year Chelsea and Man U look vulnerable and the title reachable , they sign a washed up Campbell ... while they definetely need an additional striker with V.Persie out

[Makaveli's Food & Liquor]

I don't see what's bad about this I mean it's not like he's gonna start and let's be honest Campbell's better than that retard named Silvestre and Senderflops steadily proved that he's not good enough while Djourou's always injured, so it's a win-win situation, he's experienced, free and he's been with us before so he knows how everything works

@ Lun - ain't noway in hell Porto are beating us, not unless we get fucked over by injuries lol

[Lunatic]

@ Lun - ain't noway in hell Porto are beating us, not unless we get fucked over by injuries lol

I think we have a chance. Will see! 

[KURUPTION-81]

I dont think Campbell will play much and when he does i honestly expect him to be found out.

[13th Duke]

I don't see any reason why this benefits Arsenal.

He's 35 years old, his last club was a League 2 club and he hasnt played a competitive game for over 6 months. He will still demand high wages considering he'll only be backup, and when he DOES play his age and lack of mobility will probably mean he'll make mistakes anyway.

Bad move by Arsenal.