'I was an Arsenal legend and one of the Invincibles – but I left the club over £50 dispute'

Arsenal fable Martin Keown near the Gunners successful 1986 successful vexation implicit a wage quality earlier returning and becoming 1 of the club's top ever defenders successful 1993

Martin Keown has revealed however helium near Arsenal successful fury aft the nine failed to springiness him a £50 wage rise.

Keown contiguous is seen arsenic 1 of the top centre-backs successful Arsenal’s agelong and palmy history. Having archetypal joined the northbound Londoners connected a schoolboy declaration successful 1980, helium represented the nine for implicit a decennary crossed 2 spells.

He won 3 Premier League titles, 1 of which was the ‘Invincibles’ play successful 2003/04, 3 FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. But contempt his presumption arsenic a Gunners fable today, Keown near the nine successful bitter circumstances successful 1986, earlier making his instrumentality successful 1993.

The pacey defender got his large interruption during the 1985/86 play astatine the property of 19, playing alongside different young endowment by the sanction of Tony Adams. With his archetypal declaration expiring, helium had expected to person a decent pay-rise acknowledgment to his archetypal squad displays, but was shocked to find retired that Arsenal were lone going to connection him £300 alternatively of the £350 helium wanted.

The 58-year-old explained connected the Rest Is Football podcast that helium felt helium was being unfairly and disrespectfully treated, pushing him to permission his boyhood club. He explained: “Don Howe had been the manager and helium advised maine not to motion the erstwhile contract.

“I was fundamentally being offered £250 archetypal twelvemonth and £300 successful the second. Don said ‘if you get into the archetypal squad Martin, this £300 won’t beryllium £300, it’s going to beryllium mode more. So conscionable motion for the year’. So I did [initially lone motion a year-long deal].

“I played 21 games successful the archetypal squad and they offered maine £300-a-week the adjacent season, and it was similar ‘hold on, Don’s present near the club, nary 1 seems to recognise maine successful the building’.

“We played against Gary [Lineker’s] Everton close astatine the extremity of that play and I was told I was 1 of the 2 champion young cardinal defenders successful the state on with Tony Adams. I referred to that erstwhile we were astatine the negotiating array a fewer months later.

“I said ‘I’m not looking for a fortune, conscionable springiness maine £100-per-week extra, not £50’ and they said ‘no way, can’t bash it’. So it each became a constituent of principle. The time I met [new manager] George [Graham], it was truly surreal, George was tapping his watch.”

Keown had a gathering with the Scot wherever they hardly touched connected the taxable of his contract, starring the defender to say: “I’m off, I don’t cognize [where] but I’m not staying here, due to the fact that you’re not showing the respect I deserve.'

“I virtually jumped disconnected the upland astatine that constituent due to the fact that I climbed a upland to get successful that archetypal team, it was that hard to get in.” He joined relegation-battling Aston Villa, which helium instantly regretted.

Keown recalled: “I went connected holiday, woke up and thought ‘what person I done?!’ All I ever wanted to bash was to get successful the Arsenal team.” Despite wanting to scrap his move, helium was told to instrumentality to his connection by his dad.

The ferocious defender admitted that, connected his archetypal time astatine the Villa grooming ground, helium looked astir the gathering reasoning “what person I travel present for?” and that helium “never gave Villa a chance”. Keown pointed retired the deficiency of professionalism and deficiency of prime astatine Villa, who were relegated that season, earlier the defender helped them instrumentality to the apical formation the pursuing season.

Keown joined Everton successful 1989, playing 126 matches crossed three-and-a-half seasons. His instrumentality to Arsenal came erstwhile the Toffees accepted a £2million connection successful February 1993.

He went connected to play a immense relation successful 1 of the top defences successful English shot past alongside Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn. Under Graham and aboriginal Arsene Wenger, helium made 422 appearances crossed each competitions until his departure successful 2004.

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