Abby Brammell

By Colin Young

Free agent: Sol Campbell's Arsenal contract expired earlier this summer


Sol Campbell is poised to sign a year-long deal to join Newcastle on Wednesday in a major snub to Arsene Wenger and Steve Bruce.

The former Arsenal and England defender, who had a medical on Tyneside on Tuesday, is available on a free after coming to the end of his Gunners contract.

He is expected to agree a �35,000-a-week deal in the next 24 hours, making it the fifth time in his 18-year career he has moved without incurring a fee.

Moves from Tottenham to Arsenal, on to Pompey, then the ill-fated excursion to Notts County, back to Arsenal and now to Newcastle would have cost millions.

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is set to pull off the biggest transfer of his year in charge by landing the 35-year-old, and the switch to the North East will enable Campbell to live in his new Northumberland house with his new bride, Fiona Barratt.


Summer loving: Campbell married Fiona Barratt in Corbridge, Northumberland, earlier this month


The central defender has been offered a year-long contract with the option of an additional 12 months.

His decision to join Hughton, whom he worked with at Tottenham, is a blow to Arsenal manager Wenger and Sunderland boss Bruce as well as Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who, like Bruce, met the defender for talks.

Newcastle stepped up their search for an experienced centre half when they discovered last week they will be without Steven Taylor for at least three months after surgery to a shoulder injured in their opening pre-season friendly at Carlisle United.

Campbell finished last season with a second spell at Arsenal and, although he was released by the club at the end of May, he was expected to be offered a third term at the Emirates.


His decision to move north increases the pressure on Wenger to find defensive recruits before the start of the season.

Arsenal have already lost Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre, and Swiss defender Johan Djourou is still fighting back from knee surgery and will not be fit for the start of the campaign.

French defender Laurent Koscielny has joined from Lorient on a long-term deal but Wenger will want extra bodies in for the coming season and will have regarded Campbell as a safe fall-back option.

Meanwhile, former England forward Peter Beardsley has been appointed reserve-team coach at St James' Park, where he will be assisted by Steve Stone.



Good move by Man of Steel
by Martin Keown


My old team-mate Sol Campbell provided Arsenal with a bit more steel last season at vital times and he will provide that for Newcastle as they return to the Premier League.

They have been away only one season but there will be uncertainty there about whether they belong at that level and he can help with that.

Newcastle have been attracted to a powerful, quick, experienced defender, the sort of player who is in short supply. He did enough with Arsenal in his time back there to show people that he is still at the races.

He must have been close to the England World Cup squad and maybe now they wish they had taken him.

My only concern for him is that he has missed about four weeks of preseason. He will need about six weeks' training to be where he wants to be but he has plenty to offer and I wish him all the best.


source: dailymail