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When former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas went to Chelsea we gasped. When serial biter Luis Suarez upped sticks to Barcelona we [ahem] gnashed our teeth. When former Nou Camp protégé Bojan Krkic signed on the dotted line for Stoke we stared at each other in amazement. On occasions, football transfers have the capacity to shock and perplex even the most detached observer. Here are four controversial signings that broke hearts and delighted in equal measure.

The Carlos Tevez billboard that rubbed salt into the wounds.

Sol Campbell ~ Spurs to Arsenal: Football fans can sometimes frighten non-believers with the sheer intensity of their tribal loyalties. This is especially true of the two sides on opposite sides of the North London divide. When Arsenal convened a hastily arranged press conference in August 2001 there was not an inkling of what was about to unfold amongst the assembled press pack.

Jaws literally hit the floor when Arsene Wenger led the hulking figure of Campbell into the room to announce the signing of the former Spurs’ skipper on a free transfer. While Arsenal fans likened this switch to the liberation of a prisoner of conscience, the Spurs faithful felt it was a betrayal of biblical proportions. Sol went on to win the double in his first year as a Gooner but was labelled a ‘Judas’ by his former disciples from White Hart Lane. 

Sol Campbell's move across North London was a tad controversial.

Luis Figo ~ Barcelona to Real Madrid: The slick-haired and even more slickly skilled Luis Figo had spent 5 years as the star of a successful Barca team. Unfortunately for the Blaugrana this counted for nothing after he became a pawn in a game of cloak and dagger that ended with the midfielder donning the famous white shirt of Madrid. The defection of Figo for the then world record fee of £37.2m to their bitter rivals sent the Barca fans into a spiral of apoplectic rage.

They had a chance to express their disgust of ‘double agent’ Figo when he returned to the Camp Nou for the first time in the colours of the enemy. In a cauldron of visceral hatred the Portuguese maestro trudged over to take a corner when a severed head of a suckling pig was thrown from the crowd and landed at his feet. It proved to be a defining moment that symbolised the relationship between the two clubs. 

Even the head of a suckling pig could not distract Figo.

Carlos Tevez ~ Man Utd to Man City: A bundle of aggressive energy and a scorer of important goals the on-loan Argentinian helped Alex Ferguson’s team to become English and European Champions. He was a pivotal player who, along with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, provided a peerless triumvirate of attacking options for the Red Devils between 2007-09.

Although Fergie wanted to buy the striker outright the complicated nature in regards to who owned the rights to the player and the £47m price tag proved to be insurmountable. A frustrated Tevez decided enough was enough and shocked the football world by making the move across town to United’s noisy neighbours. Unsurprisingly, City couldn’t wait to rub United’s nose in it and antagonised the situation even more with their ‘Welcome to Manchester’ billboard poster. 

From Arsenal... To United.

Robin van Persie: Arsenal to Man Utd: RVP had been an Arsenal player for several years but had never completed a full season due to the fact that his legs were seemingly made of chocolate. The Dutch striker was afflicted by continuous injuries that curtailed his progress every time he showed signs of fulfilling his massive potential. Finally in the his 8th year at the club, van Persie was freed from his injury nightmare and as captain played a full season at Arsenal, rewarding the club’s loyalty with a deluge of spectacular goals. All the while a dark cloud of uncertainty hung over his future.

Although he declared his undying love for the club, the contract extension offered was left unsigned. Eventually, van Persie made his position untenable by stating that felt the club did not have the necessary ambition to match his own and was subsequently sold to United for £24 million in the summer of 2012. RVP went on to become a Premier League Champion while Arsenal finished fourth (again).