On 1st July 2001, Arsenal unveiled one of the surprising signings of all-time when Sol Campbell was launched to the press at their coaching floor.
Campbell was poached from their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a free switch after his contract got here to an finish at White Hart Lane. There have been solely a small variety of journalists who had gathered on the Arsenal coaching floor as a result of it was anticipated that Arsene Wenger can be asserting the signing of Ipswich City goalkeeper Richard Wright.As a substitute, it was Sol Campbell who walked right into a shocked press room. The journalists who have been current rapidly acquired involved with their editors to announce the shock switch deal and information of it was splashed all around the again pages of the newspapers the next day.
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein met the Tottenham captain in secret a number of instances and it took a good bit of convincing for him to maneuver throughout North London. This wasn’t due to Arsenal not being a much bigger and extra profitable membership, extra that there can be a lot hatred from the Tottenham followers.
Campbell had been linked with among the largest golf equipment in European soccer, together with Barcelona and Inter Milan. It was broadly anticipated that he would transfer to a kind of continental groups and it was by no means anticipated that he would be part of Tottenham’s most hated rivals.
In his first sport again at White Hart Lane on seventeenth November 2001, Campbell endured some horrible abuse from the house followers. Many held up indicators with the phrase ‘Judas’ on it and he was booed each time he had the ball. The sport ended 1-1 with Gus Poyet equalising for Spurs late within the sport.
In Campbell’s first season at Arsenal, the membership gained the league and cup double. Tottenham would end ninth within the Premier League and runners-up within the League Cup after dropping 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers.Throughout his time at Arsenal, Campbell would win each the league and FA Cup twice and attain the Champions League ultimate in 2005/06, when he scored the opening objective of the sport. They might go on and lose the ultimate 2-1 to Barcelona.