Sol CAMPBELL

 Before the summer of 2001, the only really high profile Bosman transfer to have affected the English game was Steve McManaman's move from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999, but that all changed on July 10th when McManaman's England colleague Sol Campbell completed a sensational free transfer move across North London from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal. He had captained Spurs to their 1999 League Cup success but he now wanted a fresh challenge at the very highest level, and that meant Champions League football. As he neared the end of his contract the centre-back was linked to several top European clubs, with Liverpool's Gerard Houllier reportedly at the head of the queue to sign him, but it was Houllier's compatriot Arsene Wenger who stole a march on his rivals and snapped up Campbell in surely one of the biggest bargains in football history. He made his debut in a 4-0 win at Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 2001/02 season, but his Highbury debut didn't go as planned as goals from Leeds United's Ian Harte and Mark Viduka gave the visitors, who ended the match with nine men, all three points. Sol's Champions League debut followed soon after - the Gunners losing 1-0 away to Real Mallorca - and despite further defeats in their other two away games in the group, Arsenal still qualified for the second stage thanks to three home wins. Things were also going smoothly for the Gunners in the Premiership by the time they made the short journey to White Hart Lane in mid-November, where, predictably, the Spurs fans turned on Campbell, displaying banners branding him 'Judas' and jeering his every touch. It looked as though Sol would have the last laugh though as Robert Pires gave the Gunners an 81st minute lead, but a last gasp error by Arsenal 'keeper Richard Wright allowed Gus Poyet to steal a point for the home side.

A week later the title charge was back in full swing with a terrific 3-1 win over Manchester United at Highbury, and by the time the Gunners won 2-1 at fellow title challengers Liverpool two days before Christmas they were up to second in the table, just behind Newcastle. Sol's first Arsenal goal came in a 2-1 win at home to Chelsea on Boxing Day - Sylvain Wiltord grabbing the other - in what was the Gunners first of 17 wins from their last 20 games of the season (Campbell scoring again at Newcastle in early March in a match remembered most for Dennis Bergkamp's famous goal), a fantastic run of results which saw them romp away with the Premiership title. The Gunners clinched the title at Old Trafford, of all places, in the penultimate game of the season, and they finished the campaign seven points ahead of runners-up Liverpool. All in all it was a memorable week for the Gunners, as they had won the FA Cup only five days earlier. Sol (who had scored in the quarter-final replay win over Newcastle) took his place in the team at centre back in Cardiff as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0 thanks to second half strikes from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg. A Double winner in his first season, Campbell's controversial decision to swap White Hart Lane for Highbury appeared to be fully vindicated. (Mark Jones)

 In the summer of 2002 Sol Campbell played, and scored, for England at the World Cup in Asia and returned to Arsenal looking to repeat the success of his first year. The Gunners started the campaign in fine form before two defeats in a week in October, to a Wayne Rooney-inspired Everton and then at home to Blackburn, ended their 30-match unbeaten League run and handed an advantage to early pace-setters Liverpool. To make matters worse, Campbell was then sent off at Southampton in November; the Gunners going on to lose 3-2. They soon returned to winning ways though and by Christmas they looked serious title contenders, Sol opening the scoring in a 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough. Arsenal won their first three games of 2003, but were harmed by Emile Heskey's last gasp equaliser in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Anfield in late January, and Manchester United smelled blood. The Red Devils kept on winning, and although Arsenal won 5-1 at Manchester City in February (Sol scoring the fourth), dropped points at Blackburn and Aston Villa would prove costly, while success in Europe had again eluded them. On April 16th the title rivals met at Highbury and despite two Thierry Henry goals, a late Ryan Giggs equaliser earned United a point. Sol was sent off seven minutes from time for an apparent elbow on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and at the full time whistle United celebrated the draw like it was a win. They knew they were now destined to be champions, and this was confirmed when Leeds won 3-2 at Highbury on May 4th. Campbell missed that match through an injury that also saw him suffer the disappointment ofmissing the FA Cup Final two weeks later. He had scored in the Gunners' 5-1 success against non-leaguers Farnborough Town in the Fourth Round, but Ukrainian Oleg Luzhny took his place in Cardiff against Southampton. Robert Pires struck the only goal to ensure that Arsenal ended the season with a trophy, even though they won it without their first choice centre back. (Mark Jones)