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'i felt embarrassed for the club'

Arsenal legend Tony Adams on his shock at ‘disrespectful’ final contract offer he received at the club

England defender says he doesn't believe that the offer was in keeping with the club's traditions towards employees

Tony Adams said he felt 'embarrassed' for Arsenal over his contract offer

AFTER the second Old Trafford approach, I met with club secretary Ken Friar and Danny Fiszman, one of the club directors of the old school.

They offered me a contract that more than tripled my wages, from £300,000 a year to £1 million, and it convinced me that Arsenal were going to be ambitious and competitive.

 Tony Adams said he felt 'embarrassed' for Arsenal over his contract offer
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Tony Adams said he felt 'embarrassed' for Arsenal over his contract offerCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

It was completely different to what would prove my final year at Arsenal.


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At that point, the club were putting all their older professionals on one-year deals.

 Adams went to meet Arsene Wenger and David Dein to receive his final contract offer
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Adams went to meet Arsene Wenger and David Dein to receive his final contract offerCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

MORE FROM TONY ADAMS' BOOK

I went to David Dein’s house in Hertfordshire to talk to him and Arsene about a new contract and was offered a basic sum and then a sum for each game played.

What I really wanted was a one-year deal with a guaranteed salary. I was shocked. In fact, I felt embarrassed for the club.

Arsenal were not paying what Chelsea were at that time, as shown when Ashley Cole moved there, but what I was being offered was around half of what I was getting ten years earlier.

 Tony Adams scored 48 goals in 669 appearances for Arsenal
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Tony Adams scored 48 goals in 669 appearances for ArsenalCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
 Ashley Cole left for Chelsea as Arsenal could not meet his wage demands
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Ashley Cole left for Chelsea as Arsenal could not meet his wage demandsCredit: AP:Associated Press

I know I would reach 35 during the following season, but I thought I had done enough for the club over the years to warrant a salary rather than what I saw as a disrespectful appearance-based contract.

Because I would play only 13 games in my last season, I suppose Arsenal would say they were justified in paying me game by game.

I just felt it was cheap, and not really in keeping with the club’s tradition of fairness to its employees.

  • SOBER: Football. My Story. My Life, published by Simon & Schuster, is out on June 1.

TOMORROW: Tony Adams on the day he called Jermain Defoe a f***ing disgrace

 Tony Adams' new autobiography Sober
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Tony Adams' new autobiography Sober
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