Sol Campbell has emerged as a front-runner for the looming managerial vacancy at Queens Park Rangers.
Rangers' existing boss Mark Warburton will leave his post shortly following the expiry of his contract. Now, a report by talkSPORT claims that ex-England, Arsenal and Tottenham centre-half Campbell will be interviewed for the job by his old teammate and Rangers' director of football Les Ferdinand.
Campbel, 47, has held two managerial roles previously. He kept Macclesfield Town in the Football League in his first stint in the dug-out during the 2018-19 campaign. He then left the club by mutual consent in August 2019 and two months later he pitched up as boss of Southend United, who were in League One at the time.
But Campbell would not be able to produce another survival mission as United were relegated in the pandemic-affected 2019-20 campaign.
He once again departed by mutual consent, along with his backroom team of Hermann Hreidarsson, Andy Cole and Tony Colbert. Campbell said he was conscious of the looming financial impact of Covid-19 when making his decision to leave.
He said: “There are obviously frustrations with how the season ended abruptly and with what points we feel could have been amassed. However, the club have an exciting future with the plans for the new stadium in place. With the current global Covid situation having a profound effect on businesses, I am keen not to be a financial burden to the club.”
In an interview with the Mirror last year, Campbell spoke about how he had applied for 16 jobs since leaving Southend and only got one interview. He also referenced how his ex-England colleagues such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were given big chances at Chelsea and Rangers while he had to start his managerial career at lower league clubs.
“I’m not going to lie,” said Campbell. “It hurts, don't get me wrong. It hurts when you don't even hear back from people. It just goes into a black hole, your CV. If I had the chances that some of my other friends, team mates I’ve played with, they’ve had three, four or five clubs, good clubs, Championship clubs who had a bit of money at the time.
"They’ve been backed, given them a go, it might not have worked out, but they had a go, they had a good 18 months or two years to see what they can do, that’s all I need. I’ve had two clubs with no budget and it’s not been the best start."
Warburton's exit from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium ended a three-year stay for the 59-year-old who posted finishes of 13th, 9th and 11th.
Ferdinand said: "This decision has been a very difficult one to make and I reiterate Lee and Amit’s thanks and appreciation to Mark for his dedication during his time with us. The search for a new manager will now begin as we look for a suitable candidate who will build on the style of play we have at QPR.”
