You know, wherever you go around London, the fans dont like each other too much. Not everyones going to like you, he says. [94] After Eriksson's resignation, new coach Steve McClaren chose to look elsewhere for central defensive strength and Campbell was dropped for his first match in charge against Greece in August 2006. As a player, I would go into detail, watch who I was playing against. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article in the Spurs section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. [62] In July 2006, Campbell left Arsenal by mutual consent in order to seek "a fresh challenge". He has had an injection in his right ankle, troublesome since the previous autumn but damaged playing for England against Albania in a World Cup qualifier, and the joint is heavily strapped beneath his sock. In talkSPORT documentary Being Sol Campbell, he said: Its ridiculous because it happened such a long time ago. But that happens in life, he says. In his quest for UEFA Champions League football and glory, Sol Campbell made one of the most surprising and controversial moves in Premier League history. Perhaps the timing of that investment turned takeover ultimately confused the issue, leaving the player with a new set of owners to gauge. Retreat briefly to the autumn of 1999 when Romas interest in the man who had recently lifted the League Cup was knocked back and the talk had been about pencilling a date into the diary for future discussions. Campbells former team-mates were on a pre-season camp at the La Manga resort in Spain, drifting back into the hotel lobby after a training session, when the news flashed up on the big screen behind reception. That wed tried to speak to the guy three times, that he was playing a game with us and, unfortunately, our manager and director of football did not understand whats going on with this Bosman thing. In his first season there, he helped the Gunners to their second Premier League title. Staying in London would involve less logistical upheaval. He had inherited all the uncertainty around the futures of Campbell and Darren Anderton, whose contracts had under three months to run, but the hope was silverware and promise of a summer rebuild might convince both England internationals to stay. [77] Due to injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas towards the end of the season, he found himself starting frequently for Arsenal. I feel a lot of people have listened to too many other people, he says. He was huge. He won his second cap in England's 20 group stage match against Scotland, again as a substitute. That willingness to run down his contract would have been enough to rile the support even if had the player ultimately moved abroad on a free transfer. I explained to Sky that was all fine, but we were here to trade, so I asked if we could meet Sol. I have been at Spurs for 10 years and my commitment to the club during that time is there for all to see. Obviously, we got a lot of it. [24] During this time, he was falsely accused of breaking a stewards arm during a scuffle in a game at Derby County, and refused Tottenham's lawyer's advice to have the case Bound over (meaning he would not be convicted but would effectively have admitted some level of wrongdoing), and was subsequently told by the club to field his own legal defence for the case. Yes, manager Wenger and vice-chairman David Dein, the transfer fixer and their de facto director of football, had discussed the possibility of securing one of Englands best defenders under the Bosman ruling as they contemplated life after Tony Adams and the regeneration of their team. It is important the fans understand that. He returns the question. Hed come through a late fitness test to play that afternoon and I remember the cheer that went up when he came out for that warm-up. You probably wont find a bigger villain among Tottenham Hotspur fans than Sol Campbell. The irrational animosity out there for Sol Campbell is not whatever else you could call it normal. Bayern said, OK, if youre not going to speak with us now, were pulling out. It is no surprise that he has since spoken of Dein making him feel protected. They smack of a player whose priority was to keep options open as his contract ran down, ostensibly seeking evidence that the club through whose youth ranks he had risen shared his longer-term ambitions to be challengers. One simply read John 13:27 in reference to a Bible verse that begins, When Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. [31] The move was also unusual as no rumours of a move to Arsenal had been leaked or speculated upon in the media before the press conference revealing his decision, and many journalists in attendance had been led to believe they were there to witness the unveiling of goalkeeper Richard Wright, which would have been a routine sports news story. I mean, I wouldnt go to Tottenham, so I didnt understand why he was coming here. As it was, we were found out Sol was leaving at about 3am and, as I opened the door, my son Gavin came in on his way back from a nightclub. Arsenal, developing into a scintillating side under Arsene Wenger, poured forward but attacks broke down at Campbell. Im just a normal guy. Barcelona and Inter Milan, who had waited patiently while Campbell deliberated whether his future was away from Spurs, posed more of a threat to Deins hopes.

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