Sol Campbell is confident Eberechi Eze won’t be exposed to the same level of abuse he experienced upon his first return to Tottenham after signing for Arsenal.
The former England defender’s defection from Spurs to their north London rivals remains the most controversial transfer in Premier League history.
Cambpell joined the Gunners in the summer of 2001 on a free after the expiration of his contract having appeared destined to sign for Barcelona.
Arsene Wenger built a defence that would underpin two title-winning campaigns around Campbell’s strengths, but he has never been forgiven by Spurs.
Indeed, on his first return to White Hart Lane Campbell was subjected to a level of vitriol that no player has seen before or since.
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Eze’s decision to snub a move from Crystal Palace to Tottenham, in favour of re-signing for his boyhood club, has led some to suggest he is in for similar treatment when Arsenal next face Thomas Frank’s side away from home, but Campbell believes he will get a far easier ride.
He told Paddy Power: ‘I’m sure he will get some stick, but it won’t compare to what I got when I returned to Spurs as an Arsenal player. That wouldn’t be allowed to happen these days.
‘What happened back then has been shut down and no-one wants to talk about it anymore. I still get abuse now and it will never stop.
‘You could see what the move meant for Eze. It felt like he was home when he walked out at the stadium. He was an Arsenal fan as a kid and started his career there.
‘This is his club and when Arsenal came in, that was that. It feels like a reunion.’
With Martin Odegaard nursing a shoulder injury, Eze is in line to make his debut against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
‘He’s going to give an unpredictable kind of play within the team,’ Campbell added. ‘He knows how to defend, he knows how to attack.
‘I think that’s why they got him in, to bring an unpredictable kind of movement to unlock defences.
‘Arsenal need more players like that, those special players who can unlock things within a system. It’s good to see Arsenal bringing those sort of players back.’
Both Arsenal and Liverpool have made 100% starts to the new season so something will have to give on Merseyside this weekend, but Campbell is confident his old side will come out on top despite several injury concerns.
‘It’s a big game this weekend and I think Arsenal might take it 2-1,’ he said. ‘They’ve got big players going forward now, Gyokeres in there making a nuisance and being the number one target man.
‘Eze could come in and make a difference. It’s great having those performances against Leeds, but what I’ve always said in life is don’t live off the result. If you build on top of those results, that’s when you’re cooking, and that’s when something special can happen this season.
‘For me, Liverpool are still the title favourites. They have had an interesting start to the season, but they won it last year and they have to be seen as the favourites, but I’d think Arsenal can take it this season.
‘Believing is the first step. Start believing you can do it, do all the work behind the scenes, work your rear ends off, do everything in your power to get closer than ever before and believe that you can actually win the league. I’ve seen it before. I’ve been in those scenarios.’
