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.
Who is slower: Sanneh or Sol? who is abigger con artist: sanneh or Sol?
I don’t see any team signing him for DP money and I think that’s the only way he comes to the MLS
Defenders have a much better chance of succeeding in this league at 35. He wouldnt even be the oldest starter on the Fire. Blanco AND McBride are older. Sol and Conde in the back could be unstoppable. I would gladly take Sol on 200k. Rather him than Justin fricken Mapp…
1. harry redknapp has said that he is interested in sol himself
2. sol went to the FA cup final with portsmouth a year ago and after he leaves they are now the worst team in the premier league
3. signed with notts county who were just taken over by a owner the caliber of thaksin shinawatra…..he is 35 and figured if that bad of a team with ambition offers me huge money then i guess i will give it a try
4. he realized the horrible mistake he made when he signed b/c league two is awful
5. aston villa offered him a contract b4 he signed with notts county
6. cfig, hes simply not that greedy, he will take the best offer but like i said if he truly sees MLS as a place he wants to be then he WILL come…..and well as for rumor who knows if that would happen but it would be great
7. I dont even think he will sign with MLS, he will sign WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE, you guys have no idea how good he still is…..you probably hardly knew anything about him in the first place if you are making underestimations like those
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.
If Alexi Lalas were still the Galaxy’s GM, Ol’ Sol would be wearing Real Mad..er, Galaxy blue and gold. Remember, Lalas was the same man who thought Abel “Traffic Cone” Xavier could help the team.
I think he would be a good guy to help jump start Philly’s team with all the experience he has if you got two years out of him it would be great. I would love to say he should go to the Red Bulls, but I have to admit that they need to find players that can play for the next 5 years.
I CAN see in his heart and I say dang yeah get him over here. Y’all dudes don’t know what you’re saying
I can’t see in the guy’s heart, so I don’t want to judge him, but I’m going to say no
It would be absurd to sign sol to the MLS. The last thing the MLS need is another lumberjack hacking defender. And a high priced one at that. I saw him play for england agains the US a few years ago. He was old a slow then; dempsey could have scored 3 goals on him that day. He hacked dempsey and donovan mercilessly yet was not red-carded. Furthermore, he is NOT good enough for the MLS. He couldnt make a USl squad.
Austin – what are you, his brother or something? If he was still “WORLD CLASS” he’d still be in the Premiership, not League freaking Two. Spurs’ interest is a joke – he’d never, ever be signed there. And why would they sign him anyway? King, Woodgate, Dawson, Bassong, and Corluka are all light years ahead of him. He has MLS flop written all over him. He’d just be a huge hassle for any team that signed him.
Also, I don’t know what websites you’ve been reading, but $4 mil sounds like make believe. Even a $1 mil increase would be massive.
And please ignore the last sentence in that second paragraph, stupid cut and paste…
The problem is I don’t see the salaries being raised THAT much to where he becomes affordable to any team unless he’s a DP or takes a MASSIVE paycut. (Also consider that modifications to the salary cap will be primarily intended to keep the players who make almost nothing in MLS, as opposed to encouraging more big contracts.)
He was on £40,000 a week with Notts County which is $60k+ per week American. I don’t know if that’s for the season or the year, but if we assume the lower of the two that’s in the minimum $2 million per season range. There’s currently only 4 MLS players making over a million a year and only a few more making over $500k. Any salary cap modifications are designed more to increase the salaries on
Personally, there’s no way I’m making a 35 year old with questionable motives my highest paid player or my DP.
well thats not really what people have been arguing cfig, but he would probably be affordable b/c he has expressed interest in MLS on several occasions and if he is REALLY interested like he said then he would take a high salary instead of a DP
on top of that, he would be signed in january for next season and there have been alot of salary increasing rumors about next years season:
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?(wrote this earlier)
kcb…..if it is a WORLD CLASS experienced england international WHO IS NO WHERE NEAR OVER THE HILL who is affordable why wouldnt an MLS team go for it???
Posted by: Austin | September 25, 2009 at 03:44 PM
Why in the world do we think he’d be afforable?
@Sandog ”old people stay out”—- Don’t worry we’ll take are of that.
kcb…..if it is a WORLD CLASS experienced england international WHO IS NO WHERE NEAR OVER THE HILL who is affordable why wouldnt an MLS team go for it???
you people keep on using words like over the hill b/c he was last with notts county or b/c hes 35 but you have no idea about the circumstances and his true ability
he hasnt had any serious injuries of late either
phil, i dont think you know what kind of money beckham has brought in with tickets, jerseys, etc….
commitment, that is so dumb man……he is a great player who wont be signed as a DP however, whether he is signed otherwised or just passed on we will have to see…..
im gona copy in paste what i wrote earlier b/c i dont think u saw it….
“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”
MLS needs to stop signing over the hill has-beens looking to retire to the US…
MLS needs to stop signing over the hill has-beens looking to retire to the US…
MLS needs to stop signing over the hill has-beens looking to retire to the US…
Is there an echo in here or something?
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”
Posted by: QuakesFanatic | September 25, 2009 at 12:18 PM
HAHAHAHAHA!
The question is commitment. He obviously didn’t show it with Notts County. Who cares if Notts County wanted him? If he doesn’t have the drive to play, then he will fail in the MLS. Blancos, Angels and Schlettos are what we need. Beckhams and Gullits are gimmicks.