There is another villain in all of this situation and that’s Alan Sugar.
The situation was ( I feel ) all about the money, Sugar for some inexplicable reason let Scumball go into the final 12 months of his contract and FAILED to address the risk.
Even as late as May 2001, when Sugar had pissed off, the club were saying that the demands made by team Campbell were ridiculous - and well they might have been, but they had put themselves into the weakest possible negotiating position. Once the boardroom started bitching about the money to keep him it was obviously going to end in tears.
I think Campbell wanted something like 5 million a year to stay at Spurs on a 4 year deal ( £100k ish a week ? ) In the situation he was in they should have paid it. But that boardroom seemed to know jack shit about the passion and reality of football in that period and they opened us all up to the whole turd of a situation. I am not sure Levy was chairman then or not, I think he was, so he’s got an element of blame to carry here too.
The only club who would pony up the money in the end was the toss pots up the road.
The club who should have paid the same £ was, sad to say, us. Tottenham opted not to pay the guy what someone else was offering. Economic reality at play there. If you take the emotion out of it. Campbell did what was right for his bank balance.
ENIC put some bloke in charge who I seem to recall really had short arms and deep pockets early days and as per Sugar, did not manage the risk.
Beyond this transfer, the club in 2000-2001 period was beyond poorly run, and Sugar had so little confidence in the year he sold he was actually unable to sell Scumball before he sold the club when he should have done.
He probably would have personally lost money or something had he paid and Sugar wanted his millions ( which the bastard got )
So for me there are 3 scum bags to dig out. Sugar, Sol and Sky Andrew and fuck em all. Forever.
I do also have to say that as early as March that year there were people suggesting Wenger was noncing up Campbell, so it was not quite as big a surprise as it finally became to some. But it makes a better story being the shock of decade. It was not that. Even the Man in a Rain coat was publicly saying Campbell won’t stay if the club don’t pay.
SPOT ON!
Yes Sol is an egotistical pre-Madonna- there’s no doubt about that; but at least he’s not a brain dead when it comes to finance. Tottenham should have paid him and held on to him; my fear today is that the cream of the crop we have today will likewise leave because Levy is just as sheen as that cunt Sugar!