What will new Hartlepool United attacker Adam Campbell add to Darren Sarll's side?

It has, for some time, felt like Pools needed a marquee signing of sorts and it was little surprise to see the club plug season tickets shortly after announcing the arrival of Campbell, who scored seven goals in 48 appearances in West Sussex.

Campbell, who started the play-off final last month, played an important albeit not integral role as Scott Lindsey's side, who were favourites for relegation at the beginning of the campaign, secured a seemingly unlikely promotion.

He managed 27 league starts - representing a reasonable return - and provided 11 goal contributions. The 29-year-old was offered a new deal to keep him at Crawley and was also rumoured to have attracted the interest of a number of Football League clubs.

Campbell's first major contribution, then, is likely to come off the pitch; his arrival has noticeably increased morale among the fanbase and has the potential to provide a much-needed boost to season ticket sales.

After a slow start to his summer business, Sarll moved to sign Luke Charman, Jack Hunter and Nathan Sheron, a trio of new recruits who, while not the most spectacular, fit the new manager's profile and look to represent shrewd business.

The first set of new faces restored at least some goodwill to a frustrated fanbase who have, for the most part, been subjected to a miserable two decades following their side.

Pools have managed just three top half finishes in the last 17 years and last season's lowlights included a run of three wins in 19 games as well as a humiliating 7-1 defeat to local rivals Gateshead.

The arrival of Campbell, however, seems to have turned the first hints of tentative optimism into a renewed enthusiasm for following Pools; if that translates into an increase in season ticket sales, then it could boost Sarll's summer budget and, in turn, help his side be more competitive next term.

It's also important that the long-suffering supporters who, with good reason, are not always the most patient, get behind their side come August.

To some extent - and through little to no fault of his own - Sarll will start on the back foot, arriving in an environment where fans' expectations have not aligned with results and performances in recent seasons, with the notable exception of Dave Challinor's memorable promotion-winning campaign in 2021.

However, the signing of Campbell represents a clear statement of Sarll's intent.

Campbell, who was born in North Shields, admitted that location was a "massive factor" in his decision to sign for Pools but also insisted that he was impressed with Sarll's plans for the club; the fact is that Pools managed to beat a number of Football League clubs to his signature, which suggests ambition.

Like Charman and Hunter, Campbell's links to the local area should help him make a fast start, while he should also arrive with an understanding of the unique footballing culture in the area; he made his Premier League debut for Newcastle while still a teenager, was a prolific part of the Gateshead side that won the National League North title and even had a brief loan spell at Pools in 2014.

On the pitch, Campbell seems well-suited to Sarll's unique, relentless and demanding brand of football.

Sarll admitted that, when he watched Campbell live, one of the things that impressed him most was Campbell's work off the ball - indeed, to Sarll, what a player does out of possession seems as important as what he does on it.

The versatile attacker has the pace, energy and desire to lead Sarll's trademark press and is likely to be instrumental in transforming Pools from a side that were, at times, lacklustre and passive last term into one that is far more robust, intense and determined.

Of course, Campbell has obvious qualities in possession as well and his pace should help stretch defences and allow him to pose a threat in behind; together with Joe Grey and Luke Charman, Pools now have a front line that looks far more likely to show opponents a clean pair of heels than last term, when Grey was the only real threat in that regard.

He has a reasonable goalscoring record and was prolific at Gateshead; having notched seven league goals in the level above, he'll be confident he can reach double figures next season.

He'll also provide Sarll, who doesn't like to get too bogged down in shapes and formations, the flexibility to play a number of different ways; Campbell can lead the line, operate in behind as a second striker or provide a goal threat from the flank.

That leads to the question of where Sarll is likely to use him.

It would not at all come as a surprise to see him operating as a foil and a partner for the talismanic Mani Dieseruvwe; after all, he has both the speed and the instinct to make that an attractive proposition.

He could also line up a little deeper in a supporting role for Dieseruvwe while he offers a unique threat from the flank, fulfilling the role of a more traditional inside forward during much of his time with Crawley.

In all likelihood, Sarll will deploy him in a variety of different roles and such is Campbell's versatility that he can afford to feel confident he'll thrive in them all.

Campbell's arrival feels like a transformative moment in Sarll's summer; for the first time, a notable optimism is floating in on the North Sea breeze.

Of course, it is up to Sarll to get the best out of his new signing and, above all, it is down to Campbell to perform if the pair are serious about propelling Pools to promotion - as the new boss pointed out, reputation is irrelevant.

Even so, Campbell represents a real coup for Pools and, while he might have had to drop out of the Football League to return to the North East, he'll be hoping to produce the goals and performances that means he's back there before too long.