Martin Keown left Arsenal after a dispute over £50(Image: Getty Images)

I decided to leave Arsenal after £50 disagreement – it became a point of principle

by · football.london

Martin Keown left Arsenal “out of principle” after being denied a £50 pay rise.

Keown is widely seen as one of Arsenal's finest ever centre-backs. He first joined the north London club on a schoolboy contract in 1980 and spent a decade with them across two spells.

His impressive list of achievements with the Gunners include winning three Premier League titles - one being the iconic 'Invincibles' season in 2003/04 - as well as three FA Cup triumphs and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Yet despite enjoying legendary status at Arsenal today, Keown left the club in bitter circumstances in 1986 before making his return in 1993.

He got his big break during the 1985/86 season aged just 19, playing alongside another young talent by the name of Tony Adams. Expecting an improved contract as a reward for his first team performances, Keown was taken aback by Arsenal's offer of £300-a-week instead of the £350 he wanted.

The 58-year-old vented about feeling unfairly treated and disrespected on the Rest Is Football podcast, saying: "Don Howe had been the manager and he advised me not to sign the previous contract.

"I played 21 games in the first team and they offered me £300-a-week the next season, and it was like 'hold on, Don's now left the club, no one seems to recognise me in the building'.

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"We played against Gary [Lineker's] Everton right at the end of that season and I was told I was one of the two best young central defenders in the country along with Tony Adams. I referred to that when we were at the negotiating table a few months later.

"I said 'I'm not looking for a fortune, just give me £100-per-week extra, not £50' and they said 'no way, can't do it'. So it all became a point of principle. The day I met [new manager] George [Graham], it was really surreal, George was tapping his watch."

Martin Keown broke into the Arsenal team in the 1985/86 season(Image: Offside via Getty Images)

Keown had a meeting with the stern Scot where they barely touched on the subject of his contract, which led the defender to say: "I'm off, I don't know [where] but I'm not staying here, because you're not showing the respect I deserve.'

"I literally jumped off the mountain at that point because I climbed a mountain to get in that first team, it was that difficult to get in." He signed for relegation-battling Aston Villa, a move he immediately regretted.

"I went on holiday, woke up and thought 'what have I done?!'” said Keown. “All I ever wanted to do was to get in the Arsenal team." Despite wanting to scrap his move, he was told to stick to his word by his dad.

Martin Keown became an Invincible under Arsene Wenger in his final season with Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)

The once tenacious and pacey defender confessed that, upon his arrival at the Villa training ground, he was left wondering "what have I come here for?" and admitted he "never gave Villa a chance". Keown highlighted the lack of professionalism and quality at Villa, who were relegated that season, before he played a part in their promotion back to the First Division the following campaign.

Keown joined Everton in 1989, playing 126 matches across three-and-a-half seasons. His return to Arsenal came when the Toffees accepted a £2million offer in February 1993.

He became an integral member of one of the most formidable defences in the history of English football, lining up with Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, and Nigel Winterburn. Under managers Graham and later Arsene Wenger, Keown racked up 422 appearances in all competitions before leaving in 2004.

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