In 2001, Sol Campbell walked out of Tottenham on a free transfer to sign for Arsenal.
It is without doubt one of the most controversial and audacious transfers in Premier League history, and still leaves Spurs fans furious to this day.
Twenty-five years later, could history be about to repeat itself?
Well, if Saturday morning’s Italian press is to be believed, maybe. Corriere dello Sport report that Arsenal are among the clubs interested in signing Cristian Romero from Tottenham.
Be honest: Have you ever seen a more shocking transfer in football than Sol Campbell joining Arsenal?
The Argentina international’s future looks increasingly likely to be away from Spurs, with Inter Milan leading the race after making contact with his representatives.
It should be stated that Romero’s agent was spotted in Milan on Friday, so there’s a strong indication that a move to the San Siro is progressing.
Spurs are now willing to lower their initial €50million asking price. It’s highly doubtful that will be the case if the Gunners make an unlikely approach.
Could Arsenal really sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham?
Say what you want about Romero, but when he is fit and focused, he is one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
And Arsenal are obviously now in need of a centre-back, given William Saliba’s condition.
Who should replace William Saliba at Arsenal if his injury rules him out for months?
The Gunners are reluctant to match Aston Villa’s price for Ezri Konsa, and the relationship between those two clubs has likely strained since the Morgan Rogers saga.
Other names like Jon Martin and Zeno Debast have been mooted around, but it’s not guaranteed that they would hit the ground running in England.
Romero has proved he can. He has his flaws, but pairing him with Gabriel Magalhaes would make up the most aggressive and dominant centre-back partnership in Europe. Imagine how many cages that would rattle too. The blood it would boil.
Would Spurs sell him to Arsenal? Almost certainly not. And there is every chance this link has come directly from Romero’s camp to drive up Inter’s offer or force Spurs to sell quickly. Agents do this sort of thing all the time.
But it is interesting. And given what Sol Campbell did in 2001, well, stranger things have happened
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