Arsene Wenger blanked me on my Arsenal return – I even had to train by the woods

Sol Campbell has spoken about the moment he returned to Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger didn’t want him back in the squad – and he was forced to train by himself

Sol Campbell revealed that Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger wouldn’t even look his way when he returned to north London, as the iconic defender was forced to train away from the team. Campbell spent five years with the Gunners, from 2001 to 2006, and became a mainstay in the heart of the club’s defence.

During his initial tenure under Wenger – following his contentious switch from rivals Tottenham Hotspur – the centre-back won two Premier League titles and three FA Cup medals, and also enjoyed an unbeaten run throughout the 2003/04 league season.

After a successful spell with Arsenal, Campbell left for Portsmouth on a free transfer and led them to a memorable FA Cup win in 2008, before spending a year with Notts County. However, the defender craved the feeling of playing under Wenger again, and returned to north London to train with Arsenal in 2010 – but it seemed his old boss wasn’t keen on having him back.

During an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, the now-50-year-old confessed that Wenger couldn’t bear to watch him train and made him work on his own to begin with. Campbell said: “[In 2010] Arsene [Wenger] didn’t want to sign me because I left Arsenal [in 2006], but I changed his mentality.

“He said that he didn’t know if I could bounce back to the same level and I said, ‘Well, that means you don’t really know me.’ and I showed him. I left Notts County and I was in a limbo, I couldn’t sign for two clubs under one window. So, I was hanging around until January to find a club. I went back to Arsenal and trained, and the guys brought me in.

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“At first, I had to train over by the woods because he didn’t want to see me. I built on things and trained with the youth team, then the reserves and the academy – just built up my fitness. In the end, their captain said that my numbers were better than some of the lads, but Arsene still didn’t want to see me.”

Campbell’s determination ultimately paid dividends, as Wenger’s coaching staff persuaded him to allow the defender to train with the first-team squad in order for him to earn a contract with his former club. He said: “In the end, he got battered down by all the staff and they said that they have to see me.

“So, what he did, on this particular session – he got me in there and training was fine. At the end of the session, it was one-on-ones. He went, ‘Sol, in you go!’ That’s when I proved him wrong and I destroyed him, I had a really good session. I proved him wrong and then he signed me after that.”

The experienced centre-back returned to Arsenal and played in 11 matches during the latter half of the 2009/10 campaign. Yet the fairytale comeback didn’t last, and Campbell moved to Newcastle United the following season, making seven appearances before hanging up his boots for good.

The ex-Arsenal star’s return to his old club was filled with determination and grit, as he battled to persuade his former boss that he could still cut it at the highest level in the Premier League. Arsenal failed to finish the campaign with the silverware that Campbell had grown accustomed to, as their title bid against Manchester United and Chelsea collapsed following a dismal run of results in the second half of the season.

This dreadful spell saw them tumble to third place, with Chelsea and United finishing ahead of them by double digits. Their Champions League dream was crushed by Barcelona in the quarter-finals, exiting 6-3 on aggregate following a 4-1 away defeat after a battling 2-2 draw in the first leg.

Cup heartbreak also followed, with a 3-1 loss against Stoke City in the FA Cup fourth round and a 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup’s fifth round condemning them to a trophyless season. Nevertheless, Campbell was delighted to demonstrate his hunger to represent the club where he had achieved so much previously, noting that convincing Wenger was a personal triumph.

He added: “At the time, I helped Arsene to make him realise that there is passion and strength in players who want to keep on playing football, and the desire. In his head, that type of player didn’t exist.”

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