‘I left Tottenham for Arsenal because I’m ambitious – I dreamed of playing at the top’

Sol Campbell remains among the most hated figures in Tottenham Hotspur history after opting to leave the club on a highly controversial free transfer for fierce rivals Arsenal

Sol Campbell admitted it was his ambition to play at the highest level of football that drove his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur for Arsenal. The ex-England defender came through the academy of Spurs before spending nine years in the first team, where he established himself as one of the world’s premier centre backs.

However, with just one domestic honour to his name and yet to grace the UEFA Champions League, Campbell sought more for his career and opted to rejected Spurs’ contract offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in their history.

Out of contract in the summer of 2001, some fans believed that Campbell would have moved abroad and were left shocked to their core when realising he would stay in north London to now represent their most bitter rivals in the Gunners.

Nicknamed ‘Judas’ by much of the Spurs fanbase, who continue to lambast their former academy graduate for what they believe to be the ultimate betrayal in sports, Campbell was clear in his reasoning for signing for Arsenal.

At the time of his decision, he said: “I’m ambitious, I dream about playing football at the top level and this is why I’m here.” The Gunners had competed in the Champions League for the last three seasons before Campbell’s arrival and had already won the Premier League during Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Campbell’s unveiling as an Arsenal player came as a surprise to the footballing world, including the media, as just two journalists were present for the announcement at the club’s London Colney training ground.

Expecting the introduction of ex-Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright, who was signed for £2million, the reporters were instead treated to the shock of Campbell’s presence upon walking into the press room.

His arrival was an instant success for the red side of north London, recapturing the Premier League title with a seven-point margin over second-placed Liverpool. In addition to a first league title, the centre back won his first FA Cup, with Arsenal beating Chelsea 2-0 in the final.

Campbell’s arrival at Highbury wasn’t all smooth sailing as he was subjected to boos from his new team-mates in training in order to prepare him for the hostile reaction he’d receive upon his return to Tottenham.

Wenger previously spoke to German magazine 11 Freunde about the tactics from his former players as he said: “They did that, and they also made jokes about it. 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.

“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 two rivals are set to go head-to-head against each other on Thursday in a pre-season friendly. Being hosted at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, it’ll be the first north London derby taking place outside the UK, with kick-off at 12:30pm UK time.

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