England defender Sol Campbell has denied going back on his word in signing for Portsmouth after Arsenal allowed him to leave on a free transfer in the belief he wanted to try his hand at playing overseas.
Campbell signed a two-year contract at Fratton Park on Tuesday evening despite initially suggesting when he left the Gunners that he wanted to take on another challenge abroad.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has quickly expressed his surprise at the move to the south coast but Campbell said he had a clear conscience.
The 31-year-old explained: "There was interest abroad and those things didn't work out. I stated if it didn't work out, I would look at home - I said that at the beginning. Am I going to stay out of work twiddling my thumbs?
"I've joined because it is a a professional club going places with great potential. It wasn't hard. There were other situations which were up in the air but Portsmouth were the first ones [to express an interest] two or three months ago. It was a decision which was very easy to make."
Redknapp believes he has captured a "great" player. "In my opinion, it's a statement of where we want to go," he said.
Redknapp insists there is no problem surrounding the captaincy at Fratton Park, where Dejan Stefanovic will continue to hold the armband. * Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has joined Watford on a second season-long loan deal.
The 23-year-old former Racing Club Warwick player was at Vicarage Road on similar terms last season and was a key member of the Hornets side that won promotion to the Barclays Premiership via the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs.
Foster's excellent form also saw him named on the standby list for England's World Cup squad. * Franck Ribery has pledged his future to Marseille, just days after announcing he wanted to leave the club. The France midfielder had been linked with interst from Arsenal and Lyon.
