Stubbs says cancer clause led to Everton exit
Alan Stubbs claims he chose to leave Everton this summer after the club insisted on a get-out clause in his contract relating to the testicular cancer he overcame earlier in his career.
Stubbs left Goodison Park to join Sunderland last month after failing to agree terms on a new deal with the Merseysiders.
And the 33-year-old revealed the stumbling block was about Everton’s insistence on including a clause allowing them to cancel the deal should he suffer a relapse. The same clause had been included in his previous four-year contract.
Stubbs, who beat the disease four years ago, said: “It was very disappointing not to stay at Everton.
“I haven’t said anything before now, but the reason I didn’t sign again with Everton is because they wanted a clause in my contract about my cancer.
“It wasn’t about money. I am not going to stand here slating everyone, criticising people. But that was the be all and end all of the reason, and I wasn’t happy.
“I was there four years and I feel as though I did as well as anyone for four years. Suddenly, the club turn round and say: ‘We will offer you a one-year deal but we want a clause in it about your cancer’.
“I don’t see that as showing loyalty.”
An Everton spokesperson told the Daily Mirror: “Yes, he had a clause in his first contract with Everton. It is normal procedure.
“We offered him a 12-month extension on that contract. The clause was still in there. Alan asked for it to be removed and that wasn’t a problem if he was given the all-clear by a specialist. Alan didn’t go to the specialist and moved to Sunderland.”
