Sol Campbell has indicated that he is pondering his future at Arsenal after what he generously described as an "up-and-down season".

Having gone Awol for six weeks, lost his place in the England team and finished on the losing side in a Champions League final, there have been far more lows than highs and he has plenty to consider as he prepares for the World Cup.

Uppermost in his mind is a long-held desire to play abroad, an opportunity that may be presented by Fenerbahce, who have sounded out his representatives about taking him to Istanbul next season. Against that the 31-year-old defender is tempted by the prospect of playing for Arsenal at the Emirates stadium, particularly now that Thierry Henry has committed his future to the London club.

"I've got to weigh up the situation," said Campbell when asked whether he was considering leaving Arsenal. "We'll have to see what happens after that (the World Cup) but that's all I've got to say about it for the moment."

His reluctance to discuss the matter in greater detail is partly because he has yet to broach the subject with Arsenal. The club would like to keep him but with three years remaining on his £60,000-a-week contract they are also aware that he will cost them almost £10 million in wages if he stays for the duration of that deal.

Such an outlay may be too much for a club who have just spent £440 million on a new stadium as well as making Henry the highest paid player in their history, with a four-year contract worth £22 million.

Campbell may have forced his way back into the England squad but there is a strong and legitimate argument that he is no longer the impregnable centre-half of old and, as such, Arsenal may conceivably deem him too expensive to keep at a time when they have Philippe Senderos challenging to partner Kolo Toure in defence.

"It's a question of getting the World Cup out of the way," Campbell replied to questions about when he planned to discuss his future with Arsene Wenger. "No one wants to talk after we have just lost a Champions League final so it's a case of getting the World Cup over first, then we'll see what happens."

His priority, he says, is having a successful World Cup, his sixth major tournament since he won the first of his 66 caps against Hungary 10 years ago this month.

He reflected on his achievement with tangible pride as the players broke off from training for a guided tour of the new Wembley stadium yesterday - "is it a world record?" he inquired - but he knows that, barring injury, he will begin this summer's tournament among the substitutes, with Sven-Goran Eriksson preferring John Terry and Rio Ferdinand as his centre-halves.

Campbell began the season as an automatic fixture in the team but he has not been helped by a succession of injuries and, most notably, his departure from Highbury at half-time of Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to West Ham on February 1st. It was a defining moment in his career; he did not return for six weeks and by then the damage had been done.

"It's been an up-and-down season but, thank God, I'm back on track now," he reflected. "I played the last five games of the season and I'm feeling good. I've managed to pull myself together. I'm focused and ready for whatever comes my way."

Looking ahead to the World Cup he added: "I may have to be patient and wait for my opportunities. It's up to me to train well because it's a long tournament."