Sol Campbell shares Alan Sugar reveal over Tottenham transfer saga
Sol Campbell remains a hugely unpopular figure at Tottenham after he left to join arch-rivals Arsenal in 2001.
The former England defender made over 300 appearances for Spurs, but it did not prevent him from making the controversial decision to cross the North London divide in favour of a move to the Gunners.
Campbell would go on to make more than 140 outings for Arsenal before moving on to Portsmouth in 2006.
While his career-defining transfer from Tottenham to the Gunners raised many eyebrows, he has now revealed how close he came to leaving Spurs for Manchester United as a youngster.
Gary Neville tried to lure Campbell to Manchester United
Campbell appeared on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ Stick to Football podcast [20 March] and was quizzed by Gary Neville about the early stages of his career.
Neville asked Campbell: “Could you have signed for United? United wanted you at one point.”
Campbell replied: “You bloody called me.”
Neville responded: “I called (Steven) Gerrard, I called Sol, they all said no.”
Campbell responded: “I remember I was having an afternoon nap and the phone call came through saying, do you fancy United? I must have been 21 then.
“It did go further and he blocked it, (Alan) Sugar, he must have.”
Tottenham must continue their current Europa League run
The revelation that Neville tried to convince Campbell to join Manchester United before he left Spurs for Arsenal may surprise the Tottenham faithful.
| Opponent | Result |
| AZ Alkmaar (A) | 1-0 L |
| Bournemouth (H) | 2-2 D |
| AZ Alkmaar (H) | 3-1 W |
| Fulham (A) | 2-0 L |
But supporters of Ange Postecoglou’s side will be far more concerned about how their current season is going, and it has not been a positive domestic campaign.
Spurs sit just 14th in the Premier League table after their 2-0 defeat at Fulham on Sunday, while they were also knocked out of the FA Cup in the early stages thanks to a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.
Tottenham also suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, so their hopes of clinching any silverware this term rest in the Europa League.
To claim what would be an unlikely Europa League title, Postecoglou’s men must first navigate the challenge posed by Bundesliga high-flyers, Frankfurt, in the quarter-finals next month.
Failure to progress to the semi-finals could lead to Postecoglou being sacked, which would epitomise just how poor Tottenham’s season has been.