Sol Campbell has revealed that he almost signed for Manchester United in the mid-1990s, but Tottenham chairman at the time Lord Alan Sugar blocked him from making the move.
Having come through the Tottenham academy, Campbell made his first team debut in 1992 as a 16-year-old before establishing himself as a key member of the side in the 1993/94 season.
His performances naturally attracted the attention of the Premier League big boys, but five years before he made his controversial move to Arsenal in 2001, Campbell had the opportunity to sign for Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson showed an interest in him.
Sol Campbell almost moved to Manchester United
Speaking to Gary Neville on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Campbell highlighted how the full-back phoned him up in an attempt to convince him to swap White Hart Lane for Old Trafford.
With Manchester United winning trophies every season and Tottenham struggling to reach the top table of English football, the allure certainly proved too big for the centre-back to turn down.
“[On Manchester United wanting him] You [Gary 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, I must have been about 21 then," Campbell said.
"It did go further, but Lord [Alan] Sugar blocked it. A lot of players have had difficult times with him.”
In 2001, Campbell eventually got his move, though to Arsenal in arguably the most controversial deal in Premier League history.
The Englishman had the pick of clubs to choose from, however, with Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona all showing an interest in him as he entered the final six months of his Spurs contract.
“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," Campbell added.
"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.”
