Sol Campbell has lifted the lid on how a potentially career-changing transfer to Manchester United was dramatically "blocked" during his spell with Tottenham. And after nine years under at Spurs, football politics played a decisive role in shaping his career path as he ended up remaining in north London.
Campbell divulged how Old Trafford's own Gary Neville rang him up personally to coax him into joining the Red Devils. But alas, former Tottenham co-owner and chairman, Alan Sugar, is alleged to have scuttled those plans. Campbell suggested this interference inadvertently nudged him towards making one of the most controversial switches in football history – crossing the line to join the ranks of arch-rivals Arsenal.
To this day, his move is branded as one of the most notorious acts of treachery in Premier League history, with many Spurs fans still referring to the retired defender as 'Judas'. And he recounted the potentially sliding-doors phone call that came during a midday siesta.
"You [Neville] bloody called me! I remember, I was having an afternoon nap, and the phone call came through and Gary asked me if I fancied United," he said on the Stick to Football podcast (via The Mirror), brought to you by Sky Bet. "I must have been about 21 then... it did go further, but Sugar blocked it."
When probed about his rapport with former chairman Lord Sugar, Campbell's response failed to directly answer the question. However, he appeared to hint there were issues as he added: "A lot of players have had difficult times with him."
Campbell's contract with Tottenham came to an end in controversial fashion in 2001. Despite the club's attempts to retain him by offering him the highest salary in their history, he chose to stay local and moved to Highbury instead.
Losing Campbell in the mid-90s when Neville made his approach could have led to Spurs achieving far inferior results in the years that followed. However, it would have at least prevented one of their most valued players from moving to their fiercest rivals.
If the timings are accurate, Sir Alex Ferguson's alleged interest in Campbell would have coincided with Steve Bruce's final days at Old Trafford. Around this time, David May was brought in to partner Gary Pallister in central defence, while Ronny Johnsen also joined in 1996.
Campbell, 50, won the League Cup with Tottenham in 1999 but achieved greater success as an Arsenal player. He won two FA Cups and two Premier League titles, the second of which saw him play a crucial role in the 'Invincibles' team that went undefeated during the 2003/04 season.
When asked about the clubs that showed interest during the last six months of his final Spurs deal, Campbell said: "Bayern came in really earlier, but you don't know – is it a newspaper phoning you up? Back in those days, you didn't know.
"Liverpool came down, but the manager didn't come for the meeting. I went to Inter, had a chat with them. Barcelona came in at the end, but you just don't know, it's all propaganda. Arsenal obviously came in at the end."
After a successful five-season spell with Arsenal, Sol Campbell moved on to Portsmouth, where he continued to showcase his talents during the twilight of his career. His journey later included brief periods at Notts County and Newcastle, as well as a short return to Arsenal, before he retired from professional football in 2011.