Campbell walks out on Notts County

Sol Campbell's decision to leave Notts County has brought to popular attention concerns many of us already had about the club's shady ownership situation. But what does the future hold for Campbell?

One of the finest central defenders of his generation, Campbell's decision making off the pitch has led to several occasions on which he's earned a large amount of criticism. Quite rightly, he doesn't like people questioning his mental health, but one or two choices he's made have been so bizarre that an over-emotional response from football supporters is inevitable.

That's not an accusation that Campbell needs professional help, but the background to those accusations is in his own amazing ability to do the wrong thing. Such a shame considering his undeniable quality on the pitch. Campbell's performances will be fondly remembered by fans of Arsenal, Portsmouth and England - and for good reason. But where does he go from here?

I won't go into too much detail in this post because I don't know Campbell and I haven't even researched his career. But some well-documented decisions have put his judgement under the microscope.

In itself, moving from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal is controversial. But when one takes into account the manner of that move and the fact that Campbell has - ever since - complained about abuse aimed at him by Spurs fans, it takes on an added edge. The martyr act is sickening and has contributed to a string of incidents over the last few years to further alienate supporters from players. That said, I don't condone the actions of any Spurs fans convicted as a result.

Towards the end of his time at Arsenal, Campbell took the odd decision to leave the stadium at half time during a game against West Ham United. Rumours of a career in acting subsided but his behaviour was strange in the extreme. Concerned supporters never received a satisfactory explanation and that only served to create resentment, though not necessarily from Arsenal fans.

And in the summer of 2009, Campbell's Portsmouth contract came to an end and he followed former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson to League Two club Notts County, a club with secretive but apparently wealthy ownership. A reported wage of £40,000 a week probably gives a hint as to his motivations. It has been accepted that he turned down Premier League clubs to move to County, one of which appears to have been Aston Villa.

And now, after just one game in County colours, Campbell has left the club - again paying no regard to supporters' desire for an explanation. If, as suggested, he has an eye on next year's World Cup, he really should seek help. If he didn't fancy League Two, he should never have signed in the first place. In fact, there really isn't a reason which would allow Campbell to retain any kind of credibility.

Having had County's permission to leave, he is likely to be ineligible to play for another club in January, so perhaps choosing to leave rather than take big wages from the club should be applauded. Or perhaps he knows something about Notts County's owners that the rest of us don't - yet.

What do you think of Sol Campbell? Why did he leave, and should he even have been there in the first place?