Arsenal Insider

Arsene Wenger pulled off one of Arsenal’s greatest-ever transfers when he signed defender Sol Campbell in 2001.

In one of the most controversial deals in Premier League history, England International Campbell had joined Arsenal on a free transfer from bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Campbell was a graduate from the Tottenham academy and was also their club captain. In the months leading up to the expiry of his contract, he emphasised his desire to stay at White Hart Lane.

Wenger then shocked the footballing world when he unveiled his latest signing on July 3rd 2001, and Arsenal announced Campbell in the most unexpected way possible.

Arsenal announced Sol Campbell signing in surprise press conference

There was no indication at all that Arsenal were going to announce one of the most significant transfers in the history of English football when a press conference was called to announce the signing of goalkeeper Richard Wright from Ipswich Town.

Wenger then played a blinder, as those who had gathered to cover the Wright transfer watched in awe as Sol Campbell casually walked into the press conference.

“I remember his press conference, when I said we will announce a player. Nobody turned up at the training ground. There were only two press people here,” Wenger stated of the iconic moment.

“I will never forget the press’ faces when Sol came in. ‘Sol Campbell from Tottenham’, they couldn’t believe it!”

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What Sol Campbell said at his Arsenal unveiling in 2001

Naturally, there were plenty of questions to be asked about how Campbell had somehow joined the one club which would have made him one of the most loved, and most hated players in North London.

“I’ve made my decision and I just hope people respect it,” Campbell stated.

“Obviously I know what happened to (former Arsenal and Spurs boss) George Graham and what he had to deal with.

“It is something I am prepared to face and hopefully it won’t be a major problem for me.”

Campbell eventually had to deal with sheer hostility when returning to White Hart Lane for some of the fiercest North London derby matches, with his first return requiring additional police presence.

“I spent a lot of years at Tottenham and while I was there I played my heart out and tried everything to help move the team in the right direction,” he added.

“But the time finally came to make a decision to move on.”

Campbell was one of the most sought-after centre-backs in Europe, and could have joined any giants in the continent, but he explained his desire to stay in England.

“Staying in the Premiership was important to me. I was very keen to stay in the Premiership. Sven Goran Eriksson, the England coach, is here and the majority of games he sees are here in England.

“It was a big decision. I could have earned more money by going abroad but I felt this was the place to be.”

Campbell went on to become an Arsenal legend, winning two Premier League titles, including the Invincible triumph which was confirmed at his old ground, and is the only player to have scored in a Champions League final for the club.

Wenger had delivered a statement about the rivalry in North London with the signing of the Tottenham Hotspur captain, which is still remembered fondly by Arsenal fans to this day.

Arsenal have been linked with several midfielders and fullbacks in this transfer window, but a surprise option has emerged.

Mikel Arteta is keen to add to his options in the middle of the park, with Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe linked with moves away.

Established players such as Martin Zubimendi and Amadou Onana have been linked, but as it stands, neither player looks likely to join.

Arsenal were reportedly scouting Leeds United sensation Archie Gray in recent months, after the 18-year-old’s outstanding breakthrough season in the Championship, and there is now a new development in Arteta’s reported interest in him.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are interested in Leeds United starlet Archie Gray

The Daily Mail have now reported that London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have joined Arsenal in their interest in Gray.

Leeds United lost the Championship playoff final, meaning that if Gray is to play in the top flight next season, he will have to move.

Given the interest in him, and Leeds’ desire to keep hold of their outstanding young talent, they have slapped a £30m asking price on the 18-year-old, and it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will be willing to pay such a fee.

Would Archie Gray be a smart signing for Arsenal?

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Gray predominantly played at right-back this season, whilst also featuring in a defensive midfield position.

It seems unlikely that he would start in either position should he join this summer, but perhaps he is being eyed up as a talent who can develop into a top-class player under Arteta.

Former England goalkeeper David James recently told the Yorkshire Evening Post that the Championship Young Player of the Year is following a similar path to Manchester City star John Stones, who made the step up from Barnsley to Everton before joining Pep Guardiola’s side, and has played in both defence and midfield.

“As we’ve seen in Premier League footballers, as we’ve seen in international football, if you’ve got that versatility [you can succeed],” James stated of Gray.

“John Stones is probably the best example at the moment as a senior player, and Archie Gray is following that mould. He’s been fantastic for Leeds this season and hopefully for him, his future is in a senior England squad playing in one of many different positions.”

Gray’s versatility may make him appealing to Arteta, but given his price and the fact that he is unlikely to be an immediate starter, it would be something of a surprise to see him join.

If Gray has offers from elsewhere, such as Spurs, where it would be easier for him to break into the side, immediate first-team action may be more appealing to him, but the prospect of joining a title-challenging side may also outweigh this for the teenager.

Arsenal may look to strengthen their options at left-back, and watchers of Euro 2024 will have been impressed by one player in particular.

With Arsenal defenders Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney all disappointing at the tournament, Mikel Arteta may prioritise the addition of a top-quality left-back who can cement himself into the starting XI.

Whilst the Arsenal trio struggled, Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori has thrived for Italy, and the 22-year-old is now attracting interest as a result of his strong performances across the season for club and country.

Bologna, who qualified for the Champions League, were adamant that they would not sell the defender, but their position has now changed, in a welcome boost for Arsenal.

Arsenal can offer more than Juventus for Riccardo Calafiori

Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that Bologna have changed their stance over Calafiori, as they accept that having already lost manager Thiago Motta to Juventus, keeping their stars will be a difficult task.

“After initial plan to keep Riccardo Calafiori, Bologna now feel that will be almost impossible. Bologna anticipate big proposals for Calafiori soon. Juventus have player’s green light since May but still no agreement with Bologna. Premier League clubs, now keen,” he posted on X.

TuttoJuve have now reported that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are both ready to enter the race for Calafiori, and that both clubs “can offer more” than Juventus in monetary terms.

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Finances may play key role as Arsenal race to sign Riccardo Calafiori

Juventus are struggling financially compared to Arsenal, whilst Tottenham Hotspur’s failure to qualify for the Champions League may also hit them hard in this regard.

It seems that Calafiori is open to a move to Juventus, but this should not rule Arsenal out of the race. Bologna will only sell their key player for a substantial fee that Juventus may not be able to afford.

If Arsenal can gain assurances that the player would be open to a move to North London, they may be confident that they can land him ahead of Juventus, and Arteta can secure an upgrade on Kiwior, who has been linked with a move back to Serie A.

Arteta has Arsenal stars in Marbella whilst Bukayo Saka struggles at Euro 2024

In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed England’s recent poor performances at the European Championships. With Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka receiving mixed reviews for England so far, Gareth Southgate’s tactical decisions were questioned.

Arsenal are seeking a goalkeeper in the likely event that Aaron Ramsdale departs the club this summer, and they may have found their ideal replacement.

Ramsdale is set to leave in search of first-team action after losing his Arsenal place to David Raya, and Mikel Arteta will need to replace him with another backup.

This could come in the form of a fairly inexperienced option, in 23-year-old Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The Spaniard recently helped his side achieve promotion back to La Liga, following a 2-0 victory over Santi Cazorla’s Real Oviedo in the La Liga 2 playoff final.

It has now been claimed that Garcia, who has been selected in Spain’s squad for the Olympics this summer, is set to join Arsenal.

Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia attracting interest from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur

Spanish journalist Gerard Romero claimed on a La Grada Online stream that Garcia is to become an Arsenal player.

“Joan Garcia, Espanyol goalkeeper, future of Arsenal,” he stated when the goalkeeper’s place in the Olympic squad was announced.

Spanish outlet AS have also claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are in the running for the goalkeeper, who saw his release clause increase to around £21m after Espanyol were promoted back to the top flight.

Who is Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia?

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Until March, Garcia was Espanyol’s second choice option behind veteran Fernando Pacheco. However, he since took his place, and impressed between the sticks as his side reached the playoff places and secured their return to the top flight.

With 12 clean sheets and just 10 goals conceded in 21 games across all competitions this season, Garcia’s record is impressive, and he was described as “very talented” by legendary Espanyol goalkeeper Thomas N’Kono.

At 1.91m tall, Garcia would provide a lot of height to Arsenal’s goalkeeping roster, which David Raya perhaps lacks, but it remains to be seen whether his release clause of £21m will be met given his lack of experience at the top level.

It appears that Arsenal and Tottenham both see him as an ideal backup keeper for next season, but Arteta may have the upper hand in the race to sign him.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has delivered his verdict on one player’s decision to reject Arsenal.

The rivalry between Spurs and Arsenal is one of the fiercest in English football. The two sets of fans just don’t like each other and that was evident in the penultimate game of the 2023/24 season.

Tottenham fans were happy to lose to Manchester City just so that Arsenal wouldn’t win the Premier League title.

Such is the rivalry between the two clubs, and Postecoglou appeared to have made his allegiances clear with a comment on a player who was one of Arsenal’s key targets in this summer’s transfer window.

Benjamin Sesko was Arsenal’s top trasfer target before Euro 2024 began.

The Slovenia international was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates. Arsenal really wanted to sign Sesko, and a move even looked likely at one point.

However, after a lot of deliberation, Sesko decided to snub Arsenal and signed a new contract at RB Leipzig. That was a blow to Mikel Arteta and Edu, who were ready to trigger his £55 million release clause.

Arsenal have moved on now, but ahead of England’s game against Slovenia on ITV on Tuesday night, Postecoglou delivered his verdict on Sesko’s decision to stay at RB Leipzig. The Spurs boss thinks it was a ‘smart move’.

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“I think a big club would have looked at him this year, and it’s a smart move for him to stay there for another year,” Postecoglou said. “I think there’s still some development in him, but really good attributes for a striker position, for sure.”

Presenter Mark Pougatch then asked the Spurs boss: “Is that the Tottenham manager saying it’s a smart move not to go to Arsenal?”

“No comment, mate,” replied Postecoglou as Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Gary Neville around him burst out laughing.

Why Sesko rejected Arsenal and how Gunners reacted to the snub

Sesko would’ve been a great addition to this Arsenal squad.

The RB Leipzig star is quick, strong, good in the air and is a lethal finisher. He has all the attributes you would want from a striker, which is probably why Arteta and Edu were so keen to sign him.

However, Sesko rejected Arsenal, and one of the reasons was because the Gunners made it clear to him that he would only be a number two to Kai Havertz.

As for how Arteta and Edu took the rejection, it was claimed that ‘the signing of a striker is not believed to be the be-all and end-all’ for the decision-makers at Arsenal. They weren’t too disappointed.

Arsenal have moved on for now, but it will be interesting to see if Arteta and Edu will go back in for Sesko in the summer of 2025.

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