On July 1, 2001, Arsenal unveiled one of the most shocking signings of all time when Sol Campbell was presented to the media at the training ground.
Campbell was released on a free transfer by rivals Tottenham Hotspur after his contract ended at White Hart Lane. Only a few reporters gathered at Arsenal’s training ground as Arsene Wenger was expected to announce the signing of Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright.
Instead, the person who entered the shocked press room was Sol Campbell. Journalists in attendance quickly contacted editors to announce the shocking transfer deal, which was plastered all over the pages the next day.
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dayne met the Tottenham captain secretly on a number of occasions and it took a lot of convincing for him to make the move across north London. This was not because Arsenal were a bigger and more successful club, but because the hatred from Tottenham fans would be too great.
Campbell has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in European football, including Barcelona and Inter Milan. It was widely expected that he would move to one of the continent’s teams, but it was never expected that he would join Tottenham’s most hated rivals.
In his first match at White Hart Lane on 17 November 2001, Campbell endured appalling abuse from the home fans. Many people held signs with the word ‘Judas’ on them and he was booed every time he had the ball. The game ended 1-1 with Gus Poyet equalizing for Spurs in the second half.
In Campbell’s first season at Arsenal, the club won a league and cup double. Tottenham finished ninth in the Premier League and runners-up in the League Cup after losing 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers.
During his time at Arsenal, Campbell won both the league and FA Cup and reached the 2005/06 Champions League final, scoring the game’s opening goal. They went on to lose the final 2–1 to Barcelona.
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