Sol Campbell in extraordinary rant to Arsenal fans after being overlooked for Oxford United manager’s job

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Former Arsenal star Sol Campbell went on an extraordinary rant in an interview with a fan podcast when asked about his rejection for the Oxford United manager’s job.

The ex-England defender was one of the top players in the Premier League at his peak and certainly has a high opinion of himself in a coaching capacity as well, despite having never held a senior management position.

Campbell has done some work as assistant manager for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, but says he’s keen to manage a team by himself despite failing to land the Oxford job.

Speaking about his rejection, the 43-year-old made the quite extraordinary claim that he’s been rejected for this position and others because people are intimidated by his intellect and ideas.

Describing himself as ‘one of the greatest minds in football’, Campbell told the Highbury and Heels podcast that he should be able to take on a job like that because he’s played at the top level and doesn’t see it as being beyond him.

BBC Sport report that Craig Bellamy looks set to get the job instead, and Campbell sounds far from happy at continuing to struggle to get his first big breakthrough in management.

‘I did go (for the Oxford job) and they didn’t accept me,’ he said.

‘Maybe it was a lack of experience, things like that, but it’s a full circle. Experience? How do I get experience? Well I need a job to get experience.

‘I don’t want to go too low that it’s a struggle, and I don’t want to go too low that I’m under someone and thinking “what am I doing here?” I would rather be managing a club myself.

‘I’m confident and it’s not like it’s rocket science to run a football club, especially when you get to that level.

‘If you’re intelligent enough and a quick learner you will learn pretty soon, within two or three games, what the team needs, training-wise, to survive in that league, get better in that league, to get in the play-offs or even win the league.

‘I’m intelligent enough, it’s not like I played on a fox and dog pitch all my life. I can’t believe some people, I’m one of the greatest minds in football and I’m being wasted because of a lack of experience or “maybe he talks his mind too much”.

‘Go to Germany, they love people who speak their minds. They got the jobs. I’m sorry that I’ve got a mind, but don’t be scared of that. That should be something you want at your club, but obviously not.’

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