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Harry Redknapp: I would have signed Sol Campbell at any other club
Jon West25.08.09
HARRY Redknapp today revealed he would have snapped up Sol Campbell in an instant if he had been in charge of any club other than Tottenham.
Campbell, branded a "Judas" by Spurs fans since moving to rivals Arsenal in 2001, has joined League Two Notts County in a player-coach role. Redknapp still sees the 34-year-old as a Premier League player but accepts there was no way he could sign him, given the history involved.
In his first game for Arsenal at White Hart Lane, angry supporters burned an effigy of him outside the ground.
Last season he was subjected to vile abuse during Portsmouth's game against Spurs at Fratton Park, which led to four men being charged with indecent chanting and then banned from football grounds for three years.
The Spurs manager said: "I couldn't bring him back to Tottenham. It would have been impossible.
"But if I was at any Premier League club other than Tottenham I would have taken Sol Campbell. He is still a fantastic player. I would have taken him without any problem at all because he is still that good.
"He is still a top-six central defender in the Premier League so for Notts County to get him in that division is just incredible."
Campbell was a free agent after his contract ended at Portsmouth and has been reunited with former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. It is thought he is being paid around £30,000 a week.
Although Redknapp did not go for Campbell, he does need to strengthen his injury-hit central defence.
Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson have not been involved as they continue to recover from long-term injuries and Ledley King's ongoing knee problems means he rarely trains and can play only once a week.
That leaves Redknapp relying on summer signing Sebastian Bassong and makeshift centre-halves Vedran Corluka and Pascal Chimbonda.
Redknapp is, though, giving a trial to Honduras defender Osman Chavez. He said: “I just had a look at the lad. There are some good players coming out of the smaller countries over there at the moment.”
Peter Crouch, signed from Portsmouth in the summer, will start tomorrow's Carling Cup tie at Doncaster along with David Bentley and Roman Pavyluchenko.
Reader views (7)
Serpentine Campbell back at Spurs? Who is kidding whom?
Harry, please be a good boy and don't spoil our early season party by mentioning the unmentionable.
- Ted, London
Rob Hotspurs is back !
So Rob, how is the hopeless Harry doing this year, do you still want Martin Jol back?
While I agree Jol is a great manager and I wished he had stayed, I was willing to give HR a chance especially since he pulled our butt out of the fire last season.
3 for 3 so far and playing like a top 4 team this year.
Any complaints?
- Mark, St Albans
Kevin - I would quite happily have had Sol back. We were foolish to allow him to run down his contract & should have sold him, at the time, to Man U when the opportunity arose. We could have used the proceeds to purchase a replacement. Instead we had to let him go to our neighbours for nothing. The fault lay with our management, not with Sol who went on to win trophies with Arsenal. In respect of Pat Jenning, another awful mistake. We sold him to Arsenal for £90,000 & replaced him with Clemence for £300,000. Jennings, if I recall correctly lasted longer & was arguably the better of the two keeepers during the period.
- Rob Hotspurs, South London
Kevin, Pat Jennings was an entirely different case; the Board sold him as they did not want to see such a great 'keeper relegated to the old division 2.
The traitor lied and stitched us up - there's no comparison, there's nothing to forgive Pat Jennings for.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
A DEFINATE NO NO & Harry read that one right.
- Jamie, essex
I agree with Harry, Sol still has milage in the clock. Personally I would forgive and forget, just like we did when Pat Jennings left and came back, although PJ was told he wasn't getting his contract renewed whereas Sol was the instigator of his departure.
I think the board took it personally when Sol did the dirty and left them, especially tagging them along pretending he was thinking the offer of a new contract over, when he had already decided he was jumping ship to the highest bidder and coincidently that just happened to be the Gunners.
Anyway he will do a job at County and doesn't really deserve to play for Tottenham with the nature of his departure.
I'd imagine Rob/Gooner would be slobbering at the mouth with this one, but I think he's on holiday, as is his imaginary pal Rob Hotspurs. Funny that how they dissapeared together.
- Kevin, London
I doubt he would have wanted to come even if HR had offered him a job.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
