Power to his elbow as Sol finds oomph

"Come on, man," Campbell is reported to have said to Solskjaer in the Highbury corridor, "you know what happened, you know it was an accident."

Solskjaer is said to have nodded in agreement and made his pledge to speak on Campbell's behalf.

At Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Bad Waltersdorf, Campbell is still waiting to hear. In the meantime, of course, Arsene Wenger's side squandered what appeared to be an unassailable lead in the Premiership and Campbell believes there are hard lessons to be learned from that failure.

"We just didn't finish teams off in the final stages of matches," said the centre half, who won the Premiership and FA Cup Double in his first season with Arsenal.

"In the end we started scoring goals again and if the title had gone to goal difference, we probably would have won it. When the situation comes round again we have got to realise we have been here before and let's look after every game. In the last 10 or 15 games we have got to respect the situation we are in and, when you are in the lead, don't be scared. Let's stay up there.

"In vital games, we just didn't hang on to the lead, for whatever reason. In the past, Arsenal were quite used to coming from behind and rallying. That is not the kind of position we were in last season. We were up there for so long and it is a different kind of pressure.

"What did I learn from last season? Not to read any newspapers or listen to what people have to say. I won't be believing our own publicity, that's for sure. There was too much propaganda going around. "Next season, I won't be listening to any of that - I will just go for it.

Until it is won, I am not going to settle. That is how I am going to go about it."

To date, there have been just two additions to the squad from last season - German international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has joined from Borussia Dortmund as manager Wenger shelled out £1million to find a replacement for David Seaman, who left for Manchester City, while Philippe Senderos, a highlypromising-18-year-old defender from Switzerland, cost a mere £500,000.

But Jermaine Pennant has stated a case for first-team squad inclusion with his new-found maturity and young Danish defender Sebastian Svard is coming through at the right time.

Campbell has no doubts Arsenal can again challenge for the Premiership title. "We are strong enough for the league and the FA Cup, and we have young players coming through," he said. "We have that in the bag."

But then there is Europe and the Champions League - a competition in which Arsenal have yet to progress beyond the quarter-final stage.

"That is the big one, really," said Campbell, although he feels the revamped format that means knockout football beyond the first group stage will benefit Arsenal.

"The set-up is a bit different this season and maybe the knock-out situation will suit us better. Europe is a big target for us.

"You want to be up there with the elite and I just want to get to the latter stages of the Champions League and then it is anyone's.

"But in the domestic situation, we are more than capable. If there is one thing I have learned, however, it is that it can all be going rosy and then it can all go pear-shaped."