The real story behind Swansea star Sam Clucas: Paying to play, laughed out of Lincoln by Chris Sutton and blamed for Hereford United's decline

As Arsenal fans switch their fury to focus that their £60m new striker salvages their season, their latest chief destroyer knows the true value of money. He was paying to play football as a 19-year-old.

Swansea City’s Sam Clucas left the Gunners picking up their pieces of their wretched season at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night. The findings as they survey the wreckage of their trip to south Wales won’t make for happy reading.

Clucas’ journey to the Premier League rivals that of Jamie Vardy. But while the young Leicester upstart was earning extra cash to pay for his nights out after scoring goals for Stocksbridge Park Steels, the Swans winger was opening his wallet.

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Weeks before his 20th birthday, he was lacing up his boots for tiny Nettleham, who play in the parks of Lincolnshire Senior League.

Such is the level – the 11th tier of English football – that players purely play for the love of it. To keep clubs going, everyone has to chip in. There’s referees to pay for, and training pitches which need to be covered.

Speaking to the now 27-year-old back in 2016, you get the impression that will be savouring every second of his moment in the spotlight.

“The last few years I have gone up a level every season – I’ve gone from the Conference to League Two, League Two to League One and in the summer on 2016 from League One to the Championship,” he said before saying the next step, the Premier League, is “written in the stars”. How right he was.

“I think playing in the Lincolnshire League as a teenager gave me a grounding. If you get life put on a plate for you early on, you’re getting big money and nice things, then you take your foot off the gas and think you’ve made it.

“I had to drive to games and training, helping out to keep things going as you do at that level of the game. You wouldn’t even ask about expenses – it cost me a bit in the end! But that’s a part of my journey, I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of that.”

His career was kick-started by Glenn Hoddle, who days before his 20th birthday watched him trial for his academy.

He then go his pro chance after Chris Sutton, the then Lincoln City manager, said he wasn’t good enough and wouldn’t make it. It’s unclear if Clucas’ social media digs about being too small, where he posted a congratulatory letter on his 50th Premier League appearance, were aimed in the directed of the Blackburn Rovers legend.

Crumbling

He’s had to put up with twitter stick himself. After signing for Hereford United six years ago, he was the fall guy of a club crumbling.

“I got messages on twitter from some Hereford fans saying I was the worst player to ever play for that club and that I should quit – 18 months later I won their player of the year and they’re asking me not to leave! Football changes really quickly,” he said.

“Hereford really helped me. Mansfield were also fantastic when I got the move and Chesterfield really helped set me on my way. I’m grateful to everyone.”

After watching the Gunners at Wembley as a guest of the Football Association, a few years ago he was pulling them apart on Tuesday.

“I went to see Hull in the 2014 FA Cup final against Arsenal. I was invited after winning the Player of the Round from my time at Mansfield. I got the VIP treatment, it was an amazing day,” he added.

“I remember thinking to myself ‘I would love to be playing for one of those teams out there’ and a year later the call came to play for Hull!”