Campbell ends contract dispute with Notts County

Sol Campbell is free to sign for another club after settling his contract dispute with Notts County, players' union chief Gordon Taylor has confirmed.

The former Tottenham, Arsenal and Portsmouth defender had joined big-spending Notts County in August, and his arrival was a real statement of intent from the ambitious new owners at Meadow Lane, with former England manager and Notts County director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson playing an instrumental role in persuading Campbell to drop down to the Football League's bottom tier.

However, the move quickly turned sour, with reports suggesting the centre-back had become disillusioned with the club's rate of progression, and after less than a month into a five-year deal, and after only making one appearance for the Magpies - a 2-1 defeat at Morecambe, the defender quit.

After leaving the League Two outfit, the club refused to release Campbell's registration unless he agreed a 'statement of departure' meaning that Campbell was unable to sign for a new club until the matter was resolved.

Chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Gordon Taylor refused to reveal the 'intricacies' of the settlement but admitted it had been 'delicate' to resolve.

Taylor has, however, confirmed that Campbell is a free to sign for another club. He said: 'Sol Campbell is now a free agent.

'His contract dispute has been resolved and he is free to pursue football in the January transfer window. He can sign for any club he wants now.”

Campbell has since been training with former club Arsenal in order to stay fit while the dispute was resolved and has been linked with several clubs over the past two months, including Newcastle United, who are now favourites to sign him.