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Britain’s first black football agent has stood up for his former client Sol Campbell, saying he didn’t deserve criticism for his controversial move from Tottenham to Arsenal.
Sky Andrew was the England centre-back’s representative in 2001 when he negotiated the controversial deal to move across north London.
Speaking in 2001, Campbell said: “I want to play for Tottenham - that's it. I've been here for so long and there's no reason to think I would want to leave.”
Campbell had been Tottenham captain since 1997 but negotiated a lucrative deal with Arsene Wenger’s side, a deal that was alleged to have earned his agent nearly £3 million.
However Andrew told Sky Sports News that Campbell had acted appropriately. “Sol received a lot of criticism at the time but he knew he was conducting himself in the right way,” he said.
“He couldn’t understand why they were having a go at him. You can’t have a situation where players who have honoured their contracts or being sold for good money are being had a go at.”
Former Olympian Andrew became one of the country’s most famous agents when he negotiated the deal and he now has a group of clients including England cricketer James Anderson and Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel.
Campbell was labelled “Judas” by Spurs fans after moving to Arsenal. Having retired in 2011 he is now entering the political arena, having confirmed that he will be standing for Mayor of London in next year’s election.
