Tributes pour in for Kevin Campbell as ex-Arsenal and Everton striker passes away

Kevin Campbell has passed away at the age of 54 following a short illness, it was announced on Saturday morning.  

The former striker enjoyed a successful 19-year career that saw him win the old First Division title with Arsenal in 1991. He scored 59 goals in 213 appearances for the Gunners, adding the European Cup Winners’ Cup, League Cup, and FA Cup to his league success.

The north London club sent their condolences following the news, posting: “Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time.”



Campbell left Arsenal in 1995 to join Nottingham Forest, although he could not save the Reds from relegation in 1997. He scored 22 goals the following season to fire the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, adding another league winner’s medal to his collection.

Campbell joined Turkish side Trabzonspor briefly before returning to England with Everton, where he scored 39 goals during a four-year stint on Merseyside.

The Merseyside club said that Campbell was “not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well – as anyone who ever met him will know”.

The London native spent the final two years of his career at West Brom, where he achieved his “greatest accomplishment in football” by helping the club avoid relegation on the final day of the season. The Baggies became the first side in Premier League history to avoid the drop after being bottom of the table on Christmas Day.



Arsenal legend Tony Adams was left “devastated” by the news, calling him “a giant of a man with an even bigger heart”, adding that he was “a truly wonderful human being”.

Former Forest teammate Mark Crossley called Campbell “a true gentleman, a great player, a shining light of a dressing room, fun loving guy”, while West Ham legend Tony Cottee said he was “the nicest man you could wish to meet and a fantastic player”.

Former Chelsea and England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips echoed those sentiments, posting that Campbell was “a fantastic goalscorer, but more importantly an even better human”.

Despite never making a senior appearance for England, Campbell was respected and admired by football fans from across the country, including those of rival clubs. The game has lost one of its good guys.



Tributes to Kevin Campbell:



 



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