Sol Campbell fears he may never get the chance to manage another club after being overlooked for a series of jobs, including at Bristol City and Bristol Rovers.
The Arsenal legend has spent time in charge of two chaos clubs – Macclesfield Town and Southend United – since his playing retirement.
He mustered a miracle to save cash strapped Macclesfield from relegation on the final day of the 2018/19 campaign, while Southend proved too far gone to be rescued from falling into League Two in 2020 having taken the reins midway through the season.
Campbell – who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in five years at Arsenal – left both clubs due to the financial issues that led to Macclesfield going bust and the Shrimpers crumbling into the National League, and he fears he may not get another gig in management after a frustrating period out of the game.
“I’ve applied for England Under-21s, Bristol Rovers, Bristol City, I had a chat with Swansea, MK Dons, Doncaster, Ipswich, Preston – the list just goes on over the course of a couple of years in recent times," he told FourFourTwo.
“I’m open to going abroad as well, and if a manager said, ‘Sol, would you come in and work with me’, I’d look at that too – I nearly helped Thierry Henry with the defence when he was managing in Canada, but then there were the travel restrictions with quarantining and it didn’t work out.
"But ultimately I want to be a number one. Ideally, I’d love a team in England. I know football inside-out, I’ve played at the highest level – I know that doesn’t mean everything, but it means something. I can pass my knowledge on. I need a better environment, a foundation where I’m not constantly putting fires out every day, where I can concentrate on the team."
Campbell chucked his hat in the ring when Ben Garner and Paul Tisdale were sacked by the Gas, with the bookies including him among the early contenders, while his chances of getting the City job would have been remote when Lee Johnson was sacked in 2020 because of his lack of experience working in the Championship as a coach or a manager.
The former 73-cap England international, who in the past has spoken out in frustration about the underrepresentation of BAME groups in management, admits the feeling of doors being closed in his face has taken its toll.
“It’s tough when you’re not getting an opportunity and you’re getting overlooked," he continued.
"I love being around football and I don’t want to lose that. But when you’re on the sidelines, it does test that love and commitment – it’s not easy to carry on when you’re not getting interviews, and sometimes I don’t know why. Forget who I am and what I’ve done, just see if I can fit into your club.
“The sad reality is I might never get a club again. I really don’t know. Maybe I need some divine help from God, but I’ll keep pushing – I’m a trier, and I’ll keep trying. I’ll visit clubs and I’ll keep my knowledge up. If it happens, I’ll be prepared.”
