Gary Neville told to call out ‘Lying’ Sol Campbell after what he said about Tottenham
Sol Campbell’s latest comments about his time at Tottenham Hotspur haven’t gone down well with club legend Graham Roberts.
Campbell is not welcome in the Lilywhite half of North London after his infamous 2001 exit to Arsenal on a free transfer, leaving Spurs in the lurch to join their arch-rival for zero recompense.
The 73-capped England defender’s acrimonious departure from White Hart Lane has not been forgiven by the Tottenham faithful, and likely never will, as he continues to further sour his reputation.
Tottenham fans, therefore, have no love lost for the now 50-year-old, and Campbell discussing his attempts to leave Spurs even earlier has understandably been met with vitriol from all sides.
Graham Roberts lashes out at Sol Campbell in Tottenham exit rant
Campbell making an appearance on Sky Sports’ Stick to Football with Gary Neville on Thursday resulted in a new admission from the former defender, as he discussed potentially leaving Tottenham at just 21.
Arguing that ex-Tottenham owner Alan Sugar “must have” blocked an approach from Manchester United, which Neville had encouraged, Campbell soon drew the ire of Spurs legend Graham Roberts on X.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow (Red) Cards |
| Sol Campbell | 314 | 15 | 10 | 20 (1) |
Tagging both Sugar and Neville in his post (20 March), Roberts said: “Lord Sugar, we all know Sol lies – this has been proven time and time again.
“I remember talking to you two-to-three years before this so-called incident at Derby, and you saying he would not sign a deal. Gary Neville, you should have called Sol out more – you could see he was lying.”
@Lord_Sugar we all know sol lies this has been proven time and time again I remember talking to you 2/3 years before this so called incident at derby and you saying he would not sign a deal. @GNev2 you should have called Sol out more you could see he was lying.
— Graham Roberts (@GrahamRoberts4) March 20, 2025
Sol Campbell comments nothing new for Tottenham fans
Campbell stating that he had the chance to – and wanted to – leave Tottenham much earlier than he did comes as no surprise, given the level of bad blood generated by his eventual departure to Arsenal.
In hindsight, Spurs fans may have preferred Campbell to make a move to Manchester United at 21, as he likely would have left for a transfer fee to a club that the Lilywhites don’t consider as direct rivals.
Campbell remains the last player to have made the move from Tottenham to Arsenal, while Rohan Ricketts, David Bentley, William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor have headed the other way.
Those four aren’t met with the same acrimony as Campbell, and though Spurs fans have been desperate to distract themselves from what’s been a dismal season, his comments will have reopened old wounds.