What does the signing of Sol actually mean in practice?

Sol Campbell’s return to Arsenal is almost complete; it is a strange signing for many reasons. For one thing, Campbell was not particularly impressive last season and appeared to have lost the pace that made him such a difficult player to get past. Despite this, Campbell has apparently impressed Arsene Wenger enough in recent weeks and a deal to bring the former England international back to the Emirates looks close to completion. But what does the signing actually mean in practice?

Philippe Senderos

If it was not already clear, it now looks certain that Senderos’ career at Arsenal is over. The Swiss international has been limited to appearances in the League Cup this year and Campbell’s arrival is the final nail in his coffin. The player is actively seeking a move away from North London and is not going to be an Arsenal player for too much longer. He had a promising start to his career in England and impressed many onlookers with his aerial prowess, but some high profile blunders and a couple of embarrassing episodes involving Didier Drogba later and he seems to have lost the faith of his manager.

Sol Campbell

There are few managers that are as good at assessing a player’s ability as Arsene Wenger. He has made mistakes but for the most part, he is very good at knowing whether or not a player is good enough for his side. After watching Campbell over recent weeks, Wenger obviously feels that he is still good enough and fit enough to play in the higher reaches of the Premier League. His experience will be useful as Arsenal continue their title push, but his role will be a peripheral one. The partnership of Gallas and Vermaelen has worked for Wenger, they are not perfect but they compliment each other well and Wenger will not be looking to break them up. Campbell will provide cover along with Mikael Silvestre.

Johan Djourou

If fit, Djourou would be Arsenal’s third choice centre-back, but a knee injury suffered in September 2009 ruled him out for a long period of time. Estimates at the time suggested he would be out for 6 to 8 months. He was always unlikely to feature for Arsenal this season and Campbell’s arrival could be seen as proof of this. Now that the season is at such a key stage, it would be very difficult for Wenger to bring Djourou back into the first-team picture when he is fit; every game from this point onwards is important and there is no way that Djourou will able to regain full match sharpness this season. Campbell can be seen as a replacement for Djourou for the rest of the season.

Arsene Wenger

Wenger has often been criticised for his stubbornness; it has been said that his preference for youth over experience has been the cause of much of Arsenal’s recent problems. His policy of only offering players over the age of 30 one-year contracts has led to the departure of players such as Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg. But by signing Campell, a 35-year-old who is way past his prime; Wenger has shown that he does have a pragmatic side. He has recognised the benefits of signing Sol Campbell and moved to secure the deal. He has once again shown that he is far from the stubborn caricature that many portray him to be.