More than twenty years later, Sol Campbell is still not forgiven by those of a Lilywhite disposition in North London after moving to Arsenal on a free transfer.
He is not the only player to have made a controversial move away from Tottenham Hotspur. However, many of these are not controversial in the same way that Sol Campbell’s move was.
Some are controversial simply because of where a player ended up which left a bitter taste in the mouth of Spurs fans. Others caused controversy by refusing to play.
Other transfers are controversial because of the actions of others, namely Tottenham’s chief negotiator and Chairman, Daniel Levy.
On the anniversary of one of the biggest shock transfers involving Tottenham, we take a look at some of the most controversial exits the club has seen.
5 – Micky Hazard to Chelsea
On paper, it may seem clear why this transfer is controversial. It seems obvious that Tottenham selling a player to a club like Chelsea would be badly received.
Micky Hazard was a big part of the Spurs side that won the UEFA Cup against Anderlecht in 1984 and won the FA Cup in 1982.
However, this is not the reason this particular transfer is controversial. Micky Hazard, widely regarded as a club legend, claims he was forced out.
The Blues paid a then-club record fee of £300k for the Tottenham academy product and would stay in West London for five years.
4 – Luka Modric to Real Madrid
There aren’t many Spurs fans that begrudge Luka Modric for his move but the transfer saga that came before the Croatian put pen to paper on a contract for Real Madrid meant that this deal has to be on the list.
First of all, Chelsea launched a bid for the wantaway midfielder. This was swiftly rejected by Levy despite the offer matching the £40m asking price.
Modric welcomed a move to West London though, claiming to have a “Gentleman’s agreement with Daniel Levy” that he would entertain bids from “big clubs.”
This angered the then-Spurs player, who refused to play at midnight before a game against Manchester City in August 2011. Tottenham would suffer a humiliating 1-5 loss in this game.
A year later, in 2012, the 26-year-old was being made to train with the reserves as Andre Villas-Boas took his side on a pre-season tour in Los Angeles.
Soon after, the playmaker would finally get the move that he desired, signing for Real Madrid in August 2012 for an approximate £30m fee, £10m less than the offer Chelsea had made a year prior.
3 – Kyle Walker to Manchester City
Kyle Walker had been a big part of what was good about Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side, but towards the end of the 2016/17 season, he found himself on the bench for several important games.
The emergence of Kieran Trippier had meant that, for the first time since nailing down a starting spot in North London, the right-back found himself with some stiff competition for his place in the starting XI.
The Sheffield-born man, who had been at the club since 2009, expressed his desire to leave at the end of this season. Something that his former manager, Pochettino, slammed him for, citing a lack of respect for his teammates.
Walker disputed this in an interview with the Daily Mail claiming that the Argentine had told him that he was not in his plans.
The 26-year-old was eventually sold to Manchester City for a healthy £45m fee. However, Tottenham went on to become the first English club to not make a signing in this window.
Meanwhile, Walker’s city side, who had finished the previous season nine points off of Tottenham went on to win the Premier League the following season.
2 – Pat Jennings to Arsenal
The first on this list to cross the divide between red and white in North London, Jennings was allowed to leave for Arsenal in 1977.
Another player on the list widely regarded as a club legend, the Manager at the time, Keith Burkinshaw believed that the Irish stopper’s best days were behind him and so sanctioned the move.
Jennings went on to prove Burkinshaw wrong, spending eight years with Arsenal and helping them win the 1979 FA Cup final against Manchester United.
1 – Sol Campbell to Arsenal
It was only ever going to be one man at the top of this list. Twenty-three years on to the day and it’s still hard to find a Tottenham fan that has forgiven Campbell.
Campbell said in an infamous post-match interview clip that despite interest from Europe’s elite and his contract running down, he would not be moving away from White Hart Lane.
Six years prior, the Bosman ruling had allowed players to leave the clubs for free at the expiration of their contracts at their present clubs.
In perhaps the most controversial free transfer ever, the centre half moved to Highbury having had several secret meetings late at night to ensure word about the transfer did not get out.
Arsenal’s cloak-and-dagger approach paid off. The now former Tottenham player was unexpectedly announced at a press conference where just two journalists had turned up, expecting the announcement to be the signing of Goalkeeper Richard Wright.
Arsene Wenger stated, “We had an agreement that never came out. Sol definitely knew before the last week [of his contract] that he was signing for us. At least, before that he promised to sign for us.”
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