To this day, Sol Campbell’s move from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal is considered among the most controversial in footballing history.
Many have trodden a similar path since, either playing for Arsenal after Tottenham or the other way round – William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor being two that immediately spring to mind.
However, seldom has anyone made the move across north London at the peak of their game, ready to immediately win trophies in opposition colours.
But after 314 appearances for Spurs, Campbell moved to Arsenal in 2001, a move he surely doesn’t regret.
Campbell wanted to join Manchester United when he was at Tottenham a few years prior to making his controversial London switch, but he’s probably still very content with how things played out.
Sol Campbell explains why he felt like he could win at Arsenal
That being said, Campbell provided an interesting insight into the difference between Tottenham and Arsenal’s dressing rooms after he first made the move on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.
Gary Neville had been probing Campbell about his decision to leave Tottenham for Arsenal, and it seemed as if his underlying drive was to win.
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Explaining the difference between the two clubs when he first moved, Campbell said: “You just feel the quality as soon as you step through – you feel the quality. You feel like this is set up to win, you know, the possibility to win.
“And the characters in the room are, you just feel it, that’s what it’s all about. You’ve got winners in there, you’ve got guys who are working hard, you’ve got top players who are still doing just 15, 20 minutes at the end.
“That’s what it’s all about and no one is telling them to do that, they’re all doing it because they’ve got pride in their game and they’re quality players.”
Sol Campbell’s tarnished record playing against Tottenham
Incredibly, Campbell never actually lost against Spurs for Arsenal, at least in his first spell with Arsene Wenger’s side.
Campbell faced Tottenham in red seven times before he eventually swapped north London for Portsmouth.
In those seven games, Campbell won three games and drew four.
However, when the England defender made a sensational return to the Gunners in 2010 in the twilight years of his career, he did finally lose that record.
Campbell played 90 minutes in a 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane in 2010 – the last time he ever faced his old side.
Both Danny Rose and Gareth Bale scored for the home side in a famous win, and perhaps Spurs fans will feel as if they had the last laugh to some degree.
