Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, and Arsene Wenger (Photo by Shaun Botterill, Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Ask any Arsenal fan for their favourite signing ever and you can bet the controversial nature of that deal for Sol Campbell will be right up there.
Okay, Thierry Henry is surely the Gunners’ greatest ever player in terms of sheer natural talent, while homegrown heroes like Tony Adams will have a special place in many Gooners’ hearts.
Campbell, however, did what very few players have done and crossed the divide in north London – moving from Tottenham to Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001.
“I had an offer from Arsenal but walked out of a BIZARRE meeting with Arsene Wenger” – which legendary figure has no regrets about turning down the Gunners?
The former England international came to the end of his contract at Spurs, and at one point it looked like he was going to stay and sign a new deal.
Campbell went back on that promise, though, and instead of joining other interested clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus, he chose the most controversial option possible by moving to Arsenal.
Sol Campbell was a great player for Arsenal, but the move came at a considerable personal cost
Campbell probably won’t have too many regrets about his move to Highbury, as he won two Premier League titles there, as well as other major honours.
The towering centre-back was also part of that legendary 2003/04 Invincibles side, guaranteeing himself a special place in English football’s history books.
However, Arsene Wenger later admitted he’s not sure he’d go through with the Campbell signing again, given what it did to the player and his life off the pitch.
“I knew that it would cause heated debates in London, but I was truly convinced by the player,” Wenger said in an interview a few years ago.
“I thought he was capable of facing the adversity. For me, it was easy because everybody was conscious that I had signed a great player. But for him, it was more complicated.
“The situation was really stressful for Sol and he told me afterwards how severe it became. He couldn’t go to certain places for dinner or walk freely in London because of the anger of the Tottenham fans.
“In hindsight, I’m not sure if I would sign him again bearing in mind the difficulties he faced.”
That’s some statement by Wenger on a player who contributed so much to Arsenal on the pitch, but whose life clearly became hugely challenging off it.
