'I was treated terribly after leaving Tottenham for Arsenal – no one has apologised'

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One of the few players to make the switch between fierce north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham has said the treatment he received was ‘horrendous’.

After spending over a decade at Spurs, ex-England defender Sol Campbell made the difficult decision to leave for Arsenal in the early 2000s.

Campbell was loved by Tottenham fans having come through the academy to make more than 300 first-team appearances and lift the League Cup in 1999.

But Campbell felt he needed to leave Spurs in order for his career to go to another level and joined Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001, linking up with legendary Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Tottenham fans never forgave Campbell for what they saw as a betrayal, especially as he had publicly insisted he was staying in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.

Campbell says the treatment he received after leaving Spurs was ‘more than toxic’ but he does not regret his controversial decision, having gone on to enjoy a hugely successful spell at Arsenal.

During his five years with the Gunners, Campbell lifted two Premier League titles and two FA Cups and was a key part of Wenger’s Invicibles team.

Campbell also featured in a Champions League final for Arsenal, scoring an opener against Barcelona at the Stade de France before the Spanish giants came back to win 2-1.

Justifying his decision to switch between the north London rivals, Campbell told the Daily Mirror: ‘It was a move by a young man who wanted to win.

‘I wanted to win football games, I wanted to win championships, I wanted to see how far I could push my country, to see if I could win something for my country. 

‘Everywhere I've played I've tried my best, wanted to win and I knew my time was running out and I had to think about what was the best possible chance of winning and joining a team which I can enhance.

‘Sometimes if you're in a team which only has four or five players then it's hard work if you want to win anything. You need nine, 10, maybe 11 and then two or three on the bench who can make a difference.

‘I'd never had that before and I wanted to be in the best environment. Arsenal's training ground was second to none and Highbury was beautiful, historic ground, the pitch was always amazing.

‘The players were magnificent. They were incredible. Incredible quality, human beings and great players. I wanted to be in that environment.

‘Then you had Arsene Wenger with his new ideas on and off the pitch and his record.’

While he has no regrets over his move across north London, Campbell says he was on the receiving end of ‘horrendous’ treatment from Spurs fans for many years.

‘It was more than toxic,’ said Campbell, who won 73 caps for England. ‘If people went back and saw it again then they would say: “This is horrendous.”

‘It was movie-like and I had to grow. I had to be calm and play football. I had to be incredibly strong, I don't think anyone now realises what it was like.

‘I think it would be impossible for any player now. The ones out there now know what they said. Everyone had their way but no-one has apologised.

‘Obviously Luis Figo from Barcelona to Real Madrid and that's a long way. Loads of players did it in Italy.

‘London is a big city, I'm a Londoner and you come across people who want to say something, especially at that time. I get it every now and again.

‘It's definitely time to move on. I've moved on. But it does make me think. Other players have done moves like this. So, what is it?

‘Is it a racial thing? They're not singing songs about them. What is going on? If you're 20 or 25 years old, you weren't even born. It makes no sense.’

North London is braced for another derby on Wednesday night as Tottenham travel to the Emirates Stadium in a bid to earn bragging rights and pile the pressure on faltering Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have slipped seven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United at the weekend.

But they are ten places and some 16 points above a Tottenham team enduring a poor run under struggling manager Ange Postecoglou.

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