English defender Sol Campbell quit a high-paying gig with Notts County due to what he claimed was a lack of fitness. That isn't stopping teams on both sides of the Atlantic from lining up to try and sign up the former Tottenham and Arsenal star.
According to the Daily Mail, the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls are among the teams interested in signing Campbell this winter. What remains unclear is just how much of a pay cut Campbell is really ready to take in order to make a move to Major League Soccer.
If MLS teams are, in fact interested (and you can never assume this type of interest as true since foreign agents love nothing more than to pump up their player's perceived demand by including MLS teams in the chase), those teams will have some competition from English clubs, including Tottenham and second division Ipswich Town.
What's our take? If Campbell is willing to come and play for a relatively small salary (From 150K to 200K), then you can argue that a fit Campbell could still do well in MLS even at the age of 35. If he wants Designated Player money then teams would be crazy to sign a player who just recently backed out of another lucrative contract in a lower league. The fact that he has repeatedly stated in the past that he wants to pursue an acting career makes you wonder if he is considering MLS, and a move to the United States, for the wrong reasons.
What do you think of Campbell possibly coming to MLS? Would you want your team to make a move for him? Think he's washed up? Can you see him in Galaxy colors next season?
Share your thoughts below.
what kind of motivational problems too?
thats just making stuff up to make what your saying sound right b/c hes 35…..yea right, he wouldve already retired if he was unmotivated, INFACT he would have stayed with Notts County to decay into a horrible player if he was unmotivated
he wants to get back to real football…..doesnt sound like a unmotivated man to me
Austin – I saw that rumor too but considering the source i’m not putting much stock in to that one
WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE get the fact that notts county didnt want him???
THEY WANTED HIM! sven signed him to a huge contract and were about to integrate him when sol decides that he just signed with a awful english club and said i dont want to play for you, tore up his contract, and left
if he can get signed as a regular slary than what is the problem? there shouldnt be one
we got defenders like CJ Brown, Tyrone Marshall, and Greg Berhalter in the league who are very old and you are going to complain that sol campbell is going to sign in mls??
thats just ignorant man, and CJ, Marshall, and Berhalter are pretty good, but my point is that Campbell is still miles ahead, this guy could still play in premier league
Yes, Red Bulls.
sol campbell didnt want to sign with notts county thats why he left….his agent probably interested him b/c of money and realized his mistake playing in a horrible league
He is still a great defender and can still compete in the premier league thats why tottenham want him
he is 35, but doesnt play like it…..i doubt he would demand DP money, so it would be great to get him on a relatively high salary for team like red bulls who need somebody to match with kevin goldthwaite…..but this signing would not happen if he was to want DP money
finally, there has been a rumor circulating that MLS could raise the salary cap up to 4 million $$ b4 the beginning of nxt season and also having a DP that counts for salary somewhat and a player that doesnt count at all on salary on every MLS team…..that is whats been written on other websites i know of, im not making that up, so if this is true which i think it is then MLS teams look even more likely to get there targets this january like Henry, maybe ronaldinhho, campbell, beasley, who knows?
MLS needs to ask itself a simple question: “Do we want to be taken seriously as a league?”
If the answer is “yes”, then do not sign foreign players with a limited upside. Sol is on the wrong side of 35 and has a history of “motivational problems”. If an MLS team thinks they can sign a “good defender” and a “role model and mentor” for their squads then those teams are S.O.L. with Sol.
IVES, i typed about three paragraphs explaining what i thought about this and its not here…..was it edited b/c of something?
there wasnt anything at all innapropriate about it
(SBI-We reserve the right to block site links in comments, so sometimes comments get blocked because of that.)
Sol Campbell slow? I don’t think so.
He’s still a great defender, and would be a coup for MLS if they could get him as a non-DP. I’d definitely take him for NY.
But if he’s unimpressed by Notts’ facilities, he’d be horrified by what the MLS has to offer.
If the Red Bulls don’t want him then who would?
Difficult choice for DP:
Campbell or Thiery Henry?
(Jorge rolling eyes)
1 no match in philly, novak would blow a valve. 2. he has better chance to sign in the NFL as a fullback, than mls
@ adam
reverse eurosnobs? haha thats the first. Its not like this forum is full of anti-euro bias. The reason for the dislike of Campbell is not due to euro bias, but due to the fact that he is a unmotivated, unloyal, extremely slow 35 year old defender who wants to pursue acting.
just have him play with Klinnsman’s PDL team while he works on his movie career
not only is NY and LA possible destinations, but phili as well…..BUT the biggest possibility i believe is Seattle, with freddie ljungberg there he could be massively persuaded to end up there and he could replace tyrone marshall if he retires which is definately possible…..man Hurtado would become a great centre back if he could play next to campbell
guys, he signed with notts county just for the money…..he realized however thatt the play was horrible …..he didnt want to sign there in the first place(heart wasnt in it) and whats even more important is that he could still be starting for a lower EPL side
He would be a great addition to any MLS side ESPECIALLY NYRB……Campbell and Goldthwaite would be impressive partnership And they could get a few years out of him
i doubt that he would demand DP money, but could be a high salary…..in that case take em
DONT FORGET ALSO….if you really pay attention to MLS you have probably heard rumors that MLS salary could go up to 4 million $$ in 2010 along with a DP that doesnt count on the salary cap AT ALL which would mean his signing would be very likely.
Welcome to the MLS Village Assisted Living.
Let’s see, he was on £40,000 a week with Notts County, so if he’s willing to play an entire MLS season and only make 2-4 weeks of his previous pay…sure, I’d sign him.
I prefer a young player from Brazil or one of the Hispanic countries in our region. Montero has been great, and Landin will also excel. The MLS is not a retirement league. Old people, stay out.
I won’t even read the article to come up with my answer:
YES, any MLS team will benefit from him being on the team. We’ll take him in DC 🙂 Great nightlife, good FO., better weather than England, and good fans. Our stadium sucks, but you can’t have it all.
I wouldn’t bother with Campbell. I really feel he would just come here for a easy check – I don’t feel he’d apply himself like Angel, Schelloto, Blanco or Lopez have done.
With so little of the season left and 2010 not kicking off till March, he’s Far more likely to join a Premier League or Championship team in January.
Absolutely he should come to MLS. Actually, he should come to DC. We could always use one more slow defender. It’s just a bonus that he’s both over the hill and willing to walk out on his team petulantly.
Sol is more than welcome to ply his trade in MLS, so long as it’s not with the Fire. I don’t want my club paying for a guy that will walk out. Sol is a wanker. Did he expect Notts County to change overnight?
I agree with the previous comment that there is no way Spurs will sign him. Heck Harry even said in a presser yesterday he won’t even let him train with the team to keep fit. There is a real animosity between the supporters and Sol.
As for the MLS I don’t see a team wanting to pay him DP wages. His name isn’t that big. And he won’t be available until Jan, but why not let him come and train with your team if he wants to. Then you can wait until Jan to make a decision.
First he should make a direct to DVD movie with Vinne Jones and some crackerjack plot about the beautiful game THEN as an out of shape 36 year old press for DP money. Seriously, hasn’t MLS moved pass this kind of rumor and/or player situation?
I for one would love to see Sol Campbell in the league. Adds another story line.
You reverse eurosnobs need to give it a rest.
I’m surprised that no one has said “Wow! Think of the thousands of new fans he’d attract! Why, there are four million people with some English ancestry in Los Angelos! Having an Englishman on the team would be great for marketing!!!”
“Sign him now!”
Not at that level of commitment, no.
Dominick,
what the MLS intended, and what teams use it for are two entirely diefferent things. As far as the teams are concerned, its a way to bring in a quality player to improve their team.
‘NO THANKS
I agree with the posts. I also think this speaks to a larger question. Why ever give DP money to a Defender? Wasn’t the DP slot created to attract the casual fan? can the casual fan really pick up on the nuances of a defender? Just a thought I’d throw in…
No.
Unless they are Goalkeepers I think MLS should shy away from signing players from oversees that are over 35.
It is ok for guys to come at the end of their careers but they should have at least something left in the tank.
I hate to say this about a guy who was once great, but there are MLS defenders better than Campbell making 35k. I pray the Red Bulls don’t sign him.
In fact, with the disaster season the club has had, I almost don’t want to believe they are even interested! They have to be insane, look at their signings for the past two years, how much money they have wasted on terrible players!!
I am going insane thinking about how horribly this team is being run!!!!!!
And of course I’m a giant sucker so I secured my front row seats at the new stadium yesterday.
No.
Gee, you think he would be an upgrade over Gregg Berhalter?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Even at 150 to 200K, there are better options in the market than an unmotivated Sol Campbell.
Don’t do it MLS. Doooooon’t do it!
As a Red Bull fan, I say no thank you.
Uhh, no?
He will sign with the Galaxy with a clause that makes him the actor starring as Kobi Bryant in Oliver Stone’s “Diamonds Allow You To Bang Ugly Chicks and Your Wife Thinks It OK”
Ives even you think its a crazy idea. Why even post this?
Pass, Next.
stick a fork in him. he’s done…
He’s already displayed unconditional commitment to his previous “minor-league” teams (*sarcasm smiley*).
He will be in a galaxy uniform and AEG will have movie part all ready for him
If he walked out on Notts County, I can’t see him sticking to an MLS team.
Sol Campbell is not a serious transfer target of Spurs. The rumors are just that…rumors
The fans would never allow it, and Levy simply would never sanction it
uh. no thanks.