Martin Kelly admits that Liverpool only offered him a new contract if he agreed to an unusual clause

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Liverpool only offer players new contracts when they feel they still have something to give back.The Reds have been pretty good over the years at ensuring that they sell players for a good price, while keeping hold of stars who they believe can still contribute.It is not often that they lose players on a free, but with Trent Alexander-Arnold technically doing so over the summer, many fans are worried it might happen again.Ibrahima Konate looks like he could be following suit, although Liverpool are still keen to offer him a new deal with improved conditions.What these conditions might be will probably never be known, but former Liverpool player Martin Kelly revealed this week the club had some very unusual ones in his deal all those years ago.Although these will not happen with footballers today, what the club offered him certainly makes for very interesting reading.Photo by Michael Regan/Getty ImagesMartin Kelly had an injury clause in his contractKelly announced his retirement from football this week, with the Englishman starting his career in the Liverpool academy, going on to make 62 appearances. He was always a fairly reliable defender, although injuries severely impacted his time at Anfield, with this one of the reasons he eventually moved on.Despite these issues, Kelly has looked back on his time at Liverpool fondly, although he did admit that he came close to leaving before being offered an extension.In the end, he did sign it, but he revealed to The Athletic that in order for the Reds to give it to him, he had to agree to a rather bizarre injury clause.

“At the time I did my ACL under Brendan [Rodgers], I was in the process of negotiating a new deal,” Kelly said.“I still got the extension, but it came with certain terms and conditions when I was back fit. READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp discusses Liverpool’s current poor form and backs ‘outstanding’ player to bounce back“If I was injured for more than four weeks, I’d get a 40 percent decrease in my wages.

The PFA told me it was the first time they’d heard of anyone having a clause like that.“Thankfully, I stayed fit, but it was definitely on my mind in training.”What happened to Martin Kelly after Liverpool?After departing in 2014, Kelly went on to join Crystal Palace, where he spent eight years.He racked up just under 150 appearances in South London before moving on to join Championship side West Brom in 2022.He joined Wigan Athletic on loan before staying with West Brom for another year despite barely featuring for them.He had been without a club since 2023 and admitted that he has considered himself retired since then, he had just never officially announced it.