Kevin Campbell, striker who won the title with Arsenal and helped save Everton from relegation – obituary

Kevin Campbell, who has died aged 54, was a bustling centre-forward for Arsenal and Everton in the 1990s and early 2000s; he enjoyed success in England and Europe at the end of George Graham’s era at Highbury and is perhaps best remembered at Goodison Park for the burst of nine goals in six matches that saved the club from relegation in 1999.

Prolific in Arsenal’s youth team, for whom he once scored 59 goals in a season, Campbell made his breakthrough in early 1991. Emerging as a challenger for Alan Smith’s place in the side, the powerfully built 21-year-old struck eight times in 10 games to help secure the First Division title.

Campbell’s build – he stood 6ft – meant that he favoured playing off the shoulder of defenders rather than coming from deep. Graham signed Ian Wright, however, and Campbell found himself vying with Smith for the chance to hold up play and create chances for Wright.

As the Gunners became more of a cup than a league side, Campbell was often effective in tightly contested knock-out games. In 1993 he helped Arsenal to their victories over Sheffield Wednesday in the finals of the FA Cup and League Cup. The following year he claimed the equaliser in the first leg of the semi-final of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup against a Paris Saint-Germain team boasting George Weah and David Ginola.

With Wright suspended for the final against Parma in Copenhagen, Campbell defended from the front against the likes of Gianfranco Zola and Faustino Asprilla. Smith’s goal secured the trophy and sparked celebrations that continued throughout the team’s flight home and into the next morning.

When Graham was sacked the following year, however, his replacement, Bruce Rioch, earmarked Campbell’s place for the arriving Dennis Bergkamp. The former was offered the chance to play on the wing, but knew he thrived best as a striker, and left for Nottingham Forest. He had scored 59 goals in 213 appearances for Arsenal.

Of Jamaican descent, Kevin Joseph Campbell was born on February 4 1970 and grew up in Brixton, south London. Football offered a way out and he was an Arsenal fan as a lad. After signing schoolboy forms with the club, entitling him to clean the boots of players such as Viv Anderson and Charlie Nicholas, he won the FA Youth Cup with the Gunners in 1988, beating Doncaster Rovers 6-1 on aggregate in the final.

Brian Clough had been so impressed with his performance against Forest’s juniors that he had dragged Campbell off the pitch, into his office and thrust a contract under his nose. Campbell demurred until the Arsenal coach Pat Rice came to the rescue, kicking in the door. The striker then got his chance after his goals helped Leyton Orient to promotion during a loan spell.

He did fetch up at the City Ground after leaving Highbury, bought as a replacement for Stan Collymore. Campbell could not stave off relegation, but under Dave Bassett Forest returned to the Premier League a year later as First Division champions.

Campbell had forged a partnership with Pierre van Hooijdonk that was the most prolific that season in Europe. During the summer, however, Campbell was sold to Trabzonspor of Turkey, much to the ire of Van Hooijdonk, who went on strike and eventually left the club.

Meanwhile, Campbell was enjoying an eye-opening spell on the Black Sea, where he was welcomed to the club’s ground with the sacrifice of a goat whose blood was used to daub his boots. He was much impressed by the fanaticism of the fans, and by the standard of play, but fell out with the chairman after he was not paid and allegedly called a “cannibal”.

He moved to Everton in January 1999, initially on loan. The Toffees looked certain candidates to go down, but Campbell made an almost instant impression and his goals in the spring were credited with keeping them up.

Campbell signed for the club, playing alongside the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Duncan Ferguson and the young Wayne Rooney. In 2000 he scored the last Everton winner at Anfield for two decades, and the season after became the club’s first black captain. He left in 2005, having notched 39 goals in 151 appearances.

Much liked by fans and teammates alike for his upbeat temperament and wholehearted endeavour, Campbell had spells at West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff before retiring in 2007. He had played once for England B and held the record as the Englishman with the most Premier League goals – 82 – not to have been capped for the national side.

Thereafter he started a record label and worked as a media pundit, but in 2015 he was reported to have declared bankruptcy after losing millions of pounds in tax avoidance investment schemes that fell foul of HMRC. He was taken to hospital with kidney failure earlier this month.

His survivors include his former wife Faye and his sons Tyrese and Kyle, both professional footballers.

Kevin Campbell, born February 4 1970, died June 15 2024