Ex-Liverpool star's ludicrous contract clause saw club spend £10k if he played over 20 minutes

Oxlade-Chamberlain's 2011 Arsenal contract included a clause requiring Southampton to receive £10,000 every time he played over 20 minutes, costing the Gunners around £1.4m during his six-year spell.

Former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had an unusual contractual arrangement during his time at Arsenal that saw Southampton receive £10,000 in appearance fees whenever he played more than 20 minutes of football.

When Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal from Southampton in 2011 for £15m (£12m upfront plus £3m in performance-based add-ons), one specific clause tied payments to his game time. The arrangement meant Arsenal had to pay Southampton each time the midfielder exceeded the 20-minute threshold, a detail that explained why he was frequently brought on as a late substitute during his early career at the club.

Over his six years at the Emirates, Oxlade-Chamberlain made 198 appearances, with only 115 as a starter. The appearance fees accumulated to approximately £1.4m—roughly half of the £3m maximum cap on performance-based add-ons. The unusual clause resurfaced in discussion during a 2024 episode of the That Peter Crouch Podcast, where former players reacted with surprise to the revelation. Oxlade-Chamberlain later joined Liverpool in 2017, where he won the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup before moving to Celtic.