Source: Daily_Mail
Sol will shine again: Campbell's got Premier League class, claims Wenger
Arsene Wenger has revealed he was not surprised to see Sol Campbell walk out on Notts County, but backed the former Arsenal defender to salvage his career.
The Arsenal manager insisted Campbell was capable of focusing his mind if he had a ‘real target’ and claimed he could still play in the Barclays Premier League.
Wenger said: ‘It’s always a cultural shock to go down a level. I know by experience, I have talked to players I have who have come back. They all experience it badly in the first six months and you can understand that. Sol has enough in the locker to play in the Premier League.’
The fact Campbell ripped up his contract with the League Two club after just one appearance — a poor showing in a 2-1 defeat by Morecambe — and continues to struggle with personal issues has not dented Wenger’s belief that the 35-year-old can also go on to enjoy a coaching career.
Wenger said: ‘Sol is a strong man and when he has his mind on something he goes for it, but he needs a real target.
‘I believe you never know how deeply a guy is touched mentally. You consider always that players are like machines but they are not — they are human beings.
‘They are under pressure at a very young age and sometimes players don’t really master their private life or their daily environment and sometimes the added pressure can be too big.
‘Of course there are people who point out how much money they make and how fortunate they are to be players, but still they are human beings with good and bad moments in their lives and you never know how it will affect them.’ Wenger suggested Campbell would be making a mistake to turn his back on football.
‘I don’t believe in retiring unless you have to,’ he said. ‘I have never had a day when I think I could live without football. I know one day it will happen but you shouldn’t live every day knowing you are going to die — you live knowing that you want to live.
‘You need physical strength and to be a bit of an animal to convince people it’s important to win. You will know if you are not hungry enough any more but other people will tell you if you are not good enough any more.’
Perhaps Notts County director of football Sven Goran Eriksson should have sought Wenger’s advice before Campbell signed his £40,000-a-week, five-year deal at Meadow Lane.
After the defender was unveiled on August 25, Wenger said: ‘Time will show if it is a good move for him.
‘It depends what is in his mind, if it is purely a football move or if it is a long-term move that he wants to be involved afterwards as a coach. When you move down, it is always
difficult to cope mentally.’
Wenger signed Campbell from Tottenham in an acrimonious free transfer in 2001 and managed him for five years.
The former England centre back won the double in his first Arsenal season, but in
February 2006 he walked out of a match against West Ham after being substituted at half-time.
Campbell had been at fault for West Ham’s first two goals and Wenger did not consider trying to coax Campbell back to the stadium.
The Frenchman said: ‘He had to leave. There is a moment in football when you have to know how far you can go, because it’s a job. Where does the private life come in and where does the respect of his life come in?’
Campbell returned to training that week but did not play again until April 13 against Portsmouth, the club he joined that summer after scoring Arsenal’s goal in the 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League final.
Wenger admitted he didn’t know how the West Ham match would continue to affect Campbell, but praised the player for winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008.
The Arsenal boss added: ‘In our job you learn a lot about the complexity of human beings. At some moments in your life you can be more vulnerable. People between
20 and 30, it’s a sensitive age and anything can happen.’
At 35, it seems Campbell still has a lot to learn.