Arsenal: ‘Bonus clause’ in Jover contract ‘agreement’ revealed with Gunners set to break two records
According to reports, Arsenal set-piece coach Nicholas Jover negotiated a ‘bonus clause’ into his contract with the Premier League giants.
44-year-old Jover held roles at Montpellier, Brentford and Manchester City before he joined Arsenal in 2021.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reportedly recommended Jover to Pep Guardiola at Man City before they reunited at the Emirates.
Jover joined Arsenal as a set-piece coach and has had immense success in this role, with a large portion of their goals over the past couple of seasons coming from dead-ball situations.
Arteta has publicly lauded Jover on multiple occasions in recent years, with two set-piece goals contributing to Arsenal’s vital 2-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking post-match, Arteta said: “We haven’t scored set pieces for a few weeks now, but we scored so many in open play.
“Today was an option to score from this kind of situation; we’ve done it so well, and we conceded as well.”
Jover signed a contract extension with Arsenal towards the end of last year and a new report from The Athletic has shed light on a ‘bonus clause’ that was negotiated in this ‘agreement’.
According to the report, Jover’s deal ‘contains a bonus clause for goals from dead-ball situations’, with the coach securing this ‘reward’ after he ‘held a strong hand in negotiations’.
And this is pretty warranted, with the report noting that the Gunners have now scored 16 goals from corners this season, which is the joint-most by any side in a single campaign.
They have also gone 1-0 up from a corner on nine occasions in the league this term, with this the joint-most by a team in a single season.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta has taken football back to ‘primal origins’ with Arsenal tactics
Arsenal’s supremacy from set-pieces contributes to Arteta’s side sitting five points clear of Man City, who have a game in hand, at the top of the Premier League table.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has sent a title warning to Arsenal, though he thinks they will get over the line.
“They have quality, physical strength and experience of the last three years of losing it,” Neville said.
They have to look back on the last three years. They know this is going to be hard work. They’ve got 10 more weeks of pain, these Arsenal fans watching in the crowd, watching at home sometimes when they’re away.
“This is not going to be pleasant, it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be anxious but they’ve got to enjoy the thrill of it, that’s why they’re here.
“Every single time we come to Arsenal, and we’ve done this for a number of years – we go over to that 2004 year that’s over there, half way up across the stand and say they haven’t won the league for 22 years.
“They have got to try to get rid of that. In the last three years they’ve been up against City and Liverpool, and they’ve lost out in those battles. They’ve got to call upon the experiences they’ve had and dig in like you wouldn’t believe – and they’re doing that.
“The one worry other than injuries and number of games is being up against Pep Guardiola’s machine, who have won titles. Gabriel Jesus has won the Premier League but he doesn’t look like the kind of type who’s going to get the players over the line on his own.
“The one question you would have is who is the player in that dressing room settling everyone down, composing them. We had a lot of experienced winners, and it is hard work but I do think they’ll get there.”