After months of speculation, hours of discussions and doubtless a fair few sleepless nights, Sol Campbell has swapped north London for north London.

His decision to join Arsenal on a free transfer after leaving neighbours and arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur will ensure he does not lose his bearings in a hurry.

But the intent behind Campbell's decision is likely to reverberate beyond the gates of Highbury and White Hart Lane.

"I just want to play football," Campbell said, as he was unveiled to the media alongside Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "Everyone else can talk."

And they will. For while Spurs fans debate Campbell's controversial decision, and Barcelona and Inter Milan question why they failed to lure Campbell abroad, Wenger is likely to be busy bending the ear of Patrick Vieira.

Campbell's arrival at Highbury has put the Frenchman's expressed desire to leave in a different light.

Vieira, the World Cup and European championship-winning midfielder, has said he does not want to be an Arsenal player when the new English premier league season starts on August 18th.

Vieira criticised the club's recent signing of Francis Jeffers from Everton for £10 million sterling and Giovanni van Bronckhorst from Rangers for £8.5 million. Yet what Vieira views with contempt is good enough for Campbell, it could be argued.

For Campbell said yesterday that Arsenal were a club to match his ambitions of winning trophies and competing with the very best in the European Champions League.

Rangers made a double signing yesterday with Russell Latapy joining on a free transfer and Craig Moore extending his contract.

In Italy, AC Milan have made their second major signing in two days after completing the transfer of Fiorentina's Portuguese international

Rui Costa. The Rossoneri, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, have paid Fiorentina £30million) for the 29-year-old midfielder.

The move comes less than 24 hours after Milan splashed out more than £21million on Juventus striker Filippo Inzaghi.