According to a report by Football London on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Arsenal were required to pay Southampton an additional £10,000 every time Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played for at least 20 minutes during his six-year spell at the Emirates Stadium.

The unusual clause was included in the midfielder’s £15million transfer from Southampton in 2011, when he joined Arsenal as one of England’s most promising young players.

The agreement involved an initial payment of £12million, with a further £3million available through performance-related add-ons. However, one of the conditions required Arsenal to pay Southampton whenever Oxlade-Chamberlain reached the 20-minute appearance mark.

The details, revealed in Alan Gernon’s 2018 book, The Transfer Market: The Inside Stories, provided an explanation for why the midfielder was often introduced late in matches during his early years at the club.

Arsenal supporters had frequently questioned his limited playing time, particularly because he was regularly brought on around the 71st minute. Of his 198 appearances for the Gunners, only 115 came as a starter.

Despite former manager Arsène Wenger’s efforts to manage the additional expenses, Arsenal reportedly paid approximately £1.4million in appearance-related fees during Oxlade-Chamberlain’s six seasons in north London.

That figure accounted for almost half of the £3million maximum available through the performance-related clauses in the transfer agreement.

The unusual arrangement also attracted attention during a 2024 episode of the That Peter Crouch Podcast, where former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch and ex-Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell discussed the details.

Crouch explained that Arsenal had to pay an extra £10,000 whenever Oxlade-Chamberlain featured for 20 minutes or more, leaving Sidwell surprised by the agreement.

Oxlade-Chamberlain eventually left Arsenal for Liverpool in 2017 in a £40million deal, becoming the club’s most expensive departure at the time.

He spent six seasons at Anfield, winning the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup before joining Besiktas in 2023. He later moved to Celtic earlier in 2026.

The midfielder also made 35 appearances for England between 2012 and 2019 and won three FA Cup medals during his time at Arsenal.

The contract condition remains an unusual example of how performance-related payments can shape transfer agreements, while providing further insight into the financial details behind Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career at Arsenal.