http://www.4thegame.com/club.d/afc/news/143694/ This is no brainer. The man is a stud on our backline. Let me know, if I'm on drugs for wanting to keep him in the red + white for the rest of his career.
I just read that Campbell is on £100K a week?? that absolutely amazes me... we are talking Nesta and Maldini type wages.... I love dear Sol but i certainly wouldnt put him up in the class of the worlds best defenders!!! and they are thinking of a raise as well... Sol is a rock but I really didnt think we could afford to pay that type of wage to PV4, TH14, AND Sol... anyways.. i was shocked.. phishy~
Sol Yeah, 100K/week is insane, but at the time, Arsenal needed a tough, reliable, and strong centre-back like Keith Richards needs a facelift. He's proven to be worth every penny/pence/whatever since then, and I say sign him for as long as he's willing. Ever since Tony Adams got old and left, our back four just haven't been the same. Sol is the best thing that happened to our team in several years. If Arsenal are trying to be among the elite clubs in the world, inherently we're gonna have to pay elite wages. Sure, TH14 and PV4 in turn will cost more to keep around, but think how much other teams would pay them a week. I'd bet Chelski would pay Henry 150K a week!
Re: Sol Just curious, and no offense meant, but why is your username DBecks? Just curious... Is it for Beckham, or is there something I don't know about?
Lots of good points. BUT, hasn't he been the reliable defensive captain on a shaky back 4? YES!!! I know we are not the defensive minded experts of the 1-0 result. But you still need a solid defense to compete for the EPL title and CL every year. You have to splash sometimes and Sol has been a steal with how much he could have gotten from other clubs that would love a great defender.
I should think he was a steal at the grand figure of ZERO for a transfer fee. Maybe his agent convinced Arsenal that they could take waht they would have paid in a transfer fee and deduct 50%, then amoritize the difference over the length of his contract. Why sperzz let him walk away is beyond me.
We didn't "let him walk away", we offered him £130 K a week and he turned it down, there was nothing else we could have done.
What's sad is many defenders around the world earn that much in a year and are just as good. But I guess we need more English players in our lineup.
I'm fairly sure sperz supporters will say... Sol was saying he wanted to stay with the club and such so they were lied too.... right comme? and im not saying it isnt true btw~
The reason that he was allowed to walk is that he wanted to stay. We accepted an offer of £15m from Man Utd for him in 2000, but he turned it down. To be fair to him, he knew his own market worth, stuck out his contract and negotiated himself a great deal. You have to acknowledge his own business savvy even if you admire nothing else.
Re: Hold on! Who knows...its not like the tabloids have printed stories that weren't 100% spot-on before is it? Actually it might have been a very clever negotiating tactic on Sol and his agent's part. I'm not even sure there were negotiations going on prior to those reports. And we all thought the French were the only crafty ones. Either that or the Club wants to ensure his services until he does decide to leave which may not be for 5-7 years anyway. Either way its a smart move for the Club...
Sol wants an acting career and wants to move to either NY or LA to pursue towards the end of his playing days. Seriously doubt he'll leave. The only possible option is Chelsea. He's a london kid and wants to stay there, he gets regular CL games each year and a chance at the title or FA cup. Chelsea is the only inducement that could sway it. Doubt it though.