The debutįans would have to wait to see Campbell in action as he built up his fitness, but County had a promising start to the season without him, winning their first two games 5-0 and 4-0. “He’s a great player and a great organiser, and his experience will be invaluable to our push for promotion this season,” Ian McParland said. Even the manager jumped on board the bandwagon. Season ticket sales soared, while fans flooded the club shop to get a ‘Campbell 32’ shirt. I have been guaranteed that the club is going to move forward and I believe that all the people behind this, from the manager to the hierarchy, will make that an achievable aim.”Īt that stage, fans were riding a wave of unrivalled optimism. “I want to be a part of that and I am genuinely excited by what the club is trying to achieve. And what a fantastic dream to have to keep winning promotions and get Notts County back into the Premier League. “It’s a challenge, but I think everyone connected with the club is prepared for that. “I am confident that something special is being created at the club which will yield a club and a team able to match the ambitions of the new owners, management and proud fans,” he said. Speaking at his unveiling, Campbell insisted the move wasn’t about money, citing the romance behind what the new owners were trying to achieve as his motivation to join.
His £40,000 a week salary was more than any other player in League Two received in a year. The deal was a remarkable coup: just three years earlier, the 34-year-old was playing at the World Cup and had scored in the Champions League final.Ĭampbell signed a lucrative four-year deal at Meadow Lane, with the option of a fifth year, and was reportedly set to earn £10million over the course of the contract. Overnight, the League Two side had become the Galacticos of the English fourth division.Īnd in August, County made a real statement of intent with their first (and last) high-profile signing in the shape of ex-England defender Sol Campbell. They stunned the world by unveiling former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson as their director of football and were soon linked with a host of famous internationals, including David Beckham, Luís Figo and Roberto Carlos. In June 2009, Middle Eastern consortium Munto Finance completed a multi-million pound takeover of Notts County and announced their ambition to lead the club to the Premier League in just a matter of years. The former Spurs and Arsenal defender had enjoyed an illustrious career, winning two Premier League titles and playing in six international tournaments for England.Īfter leaving Portsmouth at the end of 2008-09, Campbell rejected offers from several Premier League clubs, but nobody could have predicted his next move. He has to prove it and I have to prove it.These days most top footballers finish their careers with one last big payday in America or China – but in 2009 Sol Campbell took a slightly different route. I felt we gave him something that was important to him - to be close to where the national football team play. "I felt we could not compete on a financial basis with the top clubs who were after him but we could give him a football challenge. That convinced me he is the right player for us. After chatting to him I felt he is a very ambitious guy who wants to improve and play at the top level. I tried to attract him here because he is the best. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger, who had convinced Campbell to switch to the enemy, added: "I was told many times that I had to improve my defence.
I could have earned more money by going abroad but I felt this was the place to be." Sven-Goran Eriksson, the England coach, is here and the majority of games he sees are here in England.
"I was very keen to stay in the Premiership. But the time finally came to make a decision to move on. "I spent a lot of years at Tottenham and while I was there I played my heart out and tried everything to help move the team in the right direction. It is something I am prepared to face and hopefully it won't be a major problem for me. Obviously I know what happened to George Graham and what he had to deal with. Upon his arrival, he told reporters: "I've made my decision and I just hope people respect it.
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