James McClean has dominated the tabloids over the last decade or so for reasons he would have hoped otherwise, as the controversial Irish winger has now revealed the eye-watering sum Stoke City paid him to leave his contract in 2021.

McClean, 37, is a name that will be familiar to many in English and Irish football, and depending on what side of the fence you sit on, it will largely depend on your own personal standpoint on the winger.

Capped 104 times by the Republic of Ireland, McClean's polarising personality has earned him support and enemies along the way, as the current Derry City star has now revealed just how much his former club Stoke paid him to leave the club back in 2021.

Stoke City paid James McClean £900k to leave his contract for Wigan Athletic in 2021

McClean joined Stoke in the summer of 2018 from West Bromwich Albion for an initial £5 million, and over the span of the next three years, he would make 111 appearances for the Potters across all competitions, scoring 12 and assisting 19.

The Irishman would even win Stoke's Player of the Year for the 2019/20 season, as incoming Northern Irish boss Michael O'Neill initially gave the winger his support amid the adversity he was facing off the pitch.

However, having appeared on international duty for Ireland when he was meant to be injured, his relationship with O'Neill quickly soured, and by the summer of 2021, he was relinquished of his squad number, and an exit was on the cards.

In his latest autobiography, McClean has revealed that, on top of his confirmed £30k-per-week contract with the Potters, he was paid an eye-watering £900k to leave his contract with the club before joining Wigan Athletic.

Stoke deciding to cut their losses on McClean just a year after winning their Player of the Year sums the Irishman up perfectly, as now he is back where it all started.

James McClean has never been far from controversy throughout his career

Coming through the ranks of hometown club Derry City, McClean first made the move to the United Kingdom with Sunderland in 2012, before spells with Wigan, West Brom, Stoke, Wigan (again), and Wrexham followed, as now, the Irishman is back with Derry.

His refusal not to wear the poppy throughout his career, unsurprisingly, didn't go down with a lot of people, though many understood his stance and admired his steadfast approach to the matter.

More recently, McClean revealed he viewed seeking psychological help as a weakness, as now, his club, Derry, have distanced themselves from his comments, whilst his wife has also urged him to seek professional guidance.

McClean's outspoken nature has made him one of football's most divisive figures in recent memory, as his time at Stoke would prove to be a costly mistake for the Potters.

Do you think Stoke were right to pay out £900k to allow McClean to leave for Wigan? What are your memories of his time at your club? Share your thoughts below!

James McClean proved to be one of numerous costly financial mistakes made by Stoke City in recent years

Following Stoke's relegation to the Championship in 2018, the Potters appointed Gary Rowett from Derby County to immediately guide them back to the top flight, and spent in excess of £50 million on the likes of Benik Afobe, Sam Clucas, Peter Etebo, Ryan Woods, Tom Ince, Sam Vokes, and McClean in the hopes they would have the firepower to dominate the league.

Of course, over eight years later, the Potters have yet to record a top-half finish in any division for over a decade, as that contingency proved to be a huge waste of money, with every single one of them leaving the club for money, and some, in McClean's case, actually costing the club more to get rid of.

Though his time in North Staffordshire ended disappointingly for all parties involved, McClean largely proved to be one of the better signings under Rowett despite his costly payout, as the Potters still suffer from that financial hangover to this day.