Sol Campbell could be set for a managerial return with Southend after his agent opened talks with the struggling League One side, as reported by Football London.
The former Arsenal and England defender left Macclesfield earlier in the year, less than 48 hours after they knocked Blackpool out of the EFL Cup. He was in charge of the Silkmen for less than ten months, steering them away from the relegation places despite working under tight financial conditions.
It was believed at the time that the 44-year-old, along with his assistant Hermann Hreidarsson, had not been paid for months.
Southend have been without a manager since late August when Kevin Bond left his role after just six games of the season. They lost all of their opening fixtures, causing Bond to leave by mutual consent.
They’ve since been linked with a swoop for Henrik Larsson and Johan Mjallby, but Tommy Johnson was also set to be part of the arrangement but pulled out at last minute, causing that deal to collapse.
Now it seems as though Campbell is in the frame, with chairman Ron Martin telling Talksport; “I put the phone down from [Campbell’s agent] Tim Lopez about five minutes before you called, so yeah, Sol is on my radar.”
“I said to Tim I’d come back to him before the close of play. If Sol is listening to this I think he would know this because I said it at the interview, I was impressed with him. He’s an eloquent guy, he’s passionate and I like his team.
“That’s not impossible. He is available.”
Our View
Honestly, Southend could do a lot worse than Campbell. He’s become a maligned figure for various reasons throughout his career, swapping Spurs for Arsenal being one of them.
His constant arguments about not getting a chance also rankled a few fans, but he did a wonderful job at Macclesfield with one hand tied behind his back. Keeping them in League Two was a huge deal and he didn’t get enough credit for it.
He would be a decent appointment for Southend.
