Arsenal reportedly forked out £10,000 every time Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made an appearance longer than 20 minutes.
Oxlade-Chamberlain signed for the Gunners from Southampton in 2011 as a promising 17-year-old attacker. Arsene Wenger appeared at the time to have conducted a shrewd bit of business, negotiating a £12million deal plus £3m in add-ons.
Now 30 and playing for Besiktas, he went on to make 198 appearances for the north Londoners before his £35m transfer to Liverpool in 2017. Yet – much to the bewilderment of fans at the time considering his talent – an astonishing 80 of those were off the bench.
It has since emerged from writer Alan Gernon in his book ‘The Transfer Market: The Inside Stories’ that a bizarre clause in the star’s Gunners contract was the reason behind his regular part-cameos. And the strange clause caught the attention of former Premier League stars Peter Crouch and Steve Sidwell.
Delving into the Englishman’s contract on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Crouch said: “Every time Oxlade-Chamberlain played 20 minutes or more for Arsenal they would have to pay Southampton an extra £10,000.”
A stunned Sidwell nervously laughed before asking: “Is this real? Hold on, every 20 minutes?” to which Crouch replied: “That is madness.”
A section from Gernon’s book from 2018 reads: “Following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s move to Arsenal in 2011, Gunners fans became increasingly frustrated with the midfielder’s lack of playing time.
“He was predominantly used as a substitute, often around the 71-minute mark. After his contract details emerged, it all became clear: Arsenal were obliged to pay Southampton £10,000 every time he played 20 minutes or more.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain never quite fulfilled his promise at the Emirates Stadium despite showing glimpses of brilliance. His performances did earn him call-ups to the England team, however, where he became the second youngest player to represent the Three Lions at a European Championship in 2012.
He earned 35 international caps from 2012 to 2019 and claimed three FA Cup winners’ medals in four years before joining Liverpool, where he won the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup.
