‘We did everything we could to stop Sol Campbell leaving Tottenham for Arsenal, but there was no chance – he decided he needed to move for his own career’: Spurs executive reveals key details behind controversial transfer

Tottenham Hotspur were left reeling when Sol Campbell decided to leave the club and join bitter rivals Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer of 2001, but Spurs’ then director of football David Pleat reveals there was nothing they could do to stop the move from happening.

For Arsenal fans, it’s perhaps the greatest Premier League transfer ever – in FourFourTwo’s opinion, it’s the second-most controversial move in football history, behind only Luis Figo’s switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid.

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