Zinchenko Exposes Man City’s ‘Academy Contract’ Trick
Former Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko has made a startling revelation about his time at the Etihad Stadium, claiming the club kept him on an academy contract until he had made 43 senior appearances.
The Ukrainian international, who now plays for Arsenal, joined City from Ufa in 2016. He alleges that City representatives misled him about his contract, promising to upgrade him to a full professional deal after his first senior appearance. However, this didn’t happen until he had played 43 Premier League games.
“The City lawyers said: ‘Look, this is an academy player contract, right? As soon as you make your first official game for City, we’re going to extend your contract with the real money that we pay full professionals.
Not this academy player deal. So trust us.’ Of course, I said yes. Follow the dream,” Zinchenko wrote in his new book, “Believe.
“Despite this alleged deception, Zinchenko went on to enjoy a successful spell at City, winning four Premier League titles under Pep Guardiola. However, he also revealed a tense moment with the manager, which led to him being benched for a training session.