My dad won it all with Arsenal – now I’m making my own way in the EFL and have starred for England youth teams
AN Arsenal legend’s son is attempting to forge his own career in the EFL - despite the constant comparisons to his dad.
Tyrese Campbell, 23, was born on December 28, 1999 and had the ideal man to teach him the art of goalscoring from the day he could walk.
His father Kevin Campbell enjoyed an epic career finding the net for Arsenal, Everton, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion, as well as a spell in Turkey, before hanging up his boots in 2007 after a short stint at Cardiff.
The now 53-year-old won the old First Division with the Gunners in 1991 and went on to add FA Cup and Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup medals to his collection.
But these days it is his boy who is troubling the scorers.
Tyrese began his career in Manchester City’s academy and was soon making waves on the international stage.
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He was capped three times for England U17s before going on to score two in three appearances at U20 level.
Tyrese headed to Stoke in 2018 from City and had a stint on loan at Shrewsbury while still a teen, but he is now a regular for the Potters in the Championship.
He has scored 28 goals in 128 appearances in the second tier, and he has found the net once in six outings so far this term.
This week Tyrese was interviewed by and discussed what it is like having a Premier League icon as a father.
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Firstly recalling his debut, which came as a 65th-minute substitute in a 1-1 Prem draw with Leicester in February 2018, he said: “My dad and my brother were at the game when I made my debut and I was just happy to make them proud.
“But it’s what they expected from me so it wasn’t like out of character or not expected to happen.”
The talk then turned to expectations, and particularly those from supporters and pundits that were quick to make comparisons to his old man.
“People compare me to my dad and ask ‘will i ever be better than my dad?’ That doesn’t bother me,” said the starlet.
“He’s Kevin Campbell and I’m Tyrese Campbell. Two different players. Two different careers.
“At the end of the day he’s my dad and I go to him if I need help, but it’s my own career and I’ve got to learn to do it myself.
“I can’t have my dad leading me all the day - I’m grown up enough now to do my thing.”
When pressed further on his father’s impact on his career, Tyrese then added: “As soon as I really got involved in football he was like ‘I’m never going to be one of them dad’s telling you to do that or this and shouting from the sidelines.
“‘It’s your career at the end of the day and you do what you wanna do, but if you need my advice then I’ll be here but you’ve got to learn on your own.’
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“That was the best way because if I just kept learning from him then there would get to a point where I can’t speak to him no more and can’t get his advice, then what happens?
“If I learn my own way then I can do it my own but obviously I’ve got a great family that back me 100 per cent, friends and a close group that guide me every step of the way and I’m grateful to everyone.”
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