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Liverpool - Recruit can take heart from former Man Utd star
Written by JR Walker | 27th July 2006 | 10 Comment(s)
Former England under-21 winger Jermaine Pennant finally made the switch from Birmingham City to Liverpool after the Reds agreed to pay a £6.7 million transfer fee now finds himself once again on a big stage, but the question will be whether he can progress to show some of his flashes of brilliance more consistently.
Originally, Liverpool made a bid of £3.5 million for the 23-year-old, but Birmingham requested a higher bid since 25% of any fee for the player is due to Pennant's former club Arsenal.
Pennant, who was brought up in the Notts County youth system, has also had loan spells at Watford, Leeds United and Birmingham before he signed permanently last summer at St. Andrew's.
He shone at Watford, who played in the Championship as it is now known, and also was one of the brighter performers for Leeds and Birmingham although both were relegated whilst he was there.
Pennant had begun the 2004/5 season back at Arsenal, but was unable to force his way into Arsene Wenger's plans as the team continued on their record 49-game unbeaten run at the start of the campaign.
Many forget that Arsenal's record run began with a 6-1 demolition of Southampton where Pennant along with Robert Pires both scored hat-tricks in an end-of-season game.
However, that was to be as good as it got for Pennant at Highbury and it had been rumoured that the player had some attitude problems earlier in his career which had led to Wenger questioning his professionalism and ultimately losing trust in the winger.
Pennant's troubles off the pitch read pretty unfavourably for someone who has had quite a short professional career both for club and country. His misdemeanours include being sent home by the U-21 side for breaking a curfew and punching a player against Poland in a U-21 game and getting sent off.
More famously alcohol and cars have proven a problem in the past for Pennant, having a 16-month driving ban put on him in 2004 for driving in the wrong lane (it's not only women then!!) and the next year he was convicted of driving while drunk.
The conviction, combined with his previous ban and failure to obtain auto insurance, saw Pennant spend three weeks in prison while on-loan at Birmingham and manager Steve Bruce has played a large part in resurrecting the player since.
Pennant hopes to have his problems behind him and signed a four-year contract with the Merseysiders, and is excited at the prospect of European football in his future.
Rafa Benitez has been linked with a move for Pennant for quite some time now, but it may be that losing out on Damien Duff has made him act quickly to secure another much needed wide player.
Benitez made little secret of the fact he was on the lookout for a wide player during last season, and with Pennant joining, Mark Gonzalez gaining his work permit, and Boudewijn Zenden fit again he must feel like he's been waiting for a bus and then three come at once.
Although Zenden has spent much of his career as a wide player Benitez would appear to be toying with the idea of using him centrally, which would leave Pennant and Gonzalez fighting for a place especially with Harry Kewell a doubt for the start of the season.
Benitez is now well stocked in the creative department with Luis Garcia, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Mohamed Sissoko all likely to get plenty of games once again, and it will remain to be seen whether the much maligned Peter Crouch along with Craig Bellamy and Robbie Fowler can fire Liverpool to challenge Chelsea?
Another experienced forward may be required, and Liverpool continues to be linked with Feyenoord's Dirk Kuyt although the Dutch club deny any formal approach has been made.
Pennant of course could easily find himself in a similar position to that he was in at Arsenal where he was often a substitute, but it will be up to him to prove Benitez was right to have faith in him.
He has seen people like Aaron Lennon leap-frog him into the England reckoning, which is where he would have hoped to be when he signed for Arsenal all those years ago.
There aren't many players who get a second chance to play for a great club when the previous one didn't work out, but maybe Pennant could take comfort from Andy Cole who also left Arsenal under a cloud of Disciplinary problems: and he didn't exactly do too badly in the end.
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Comments
Comment by Kevin on Sunday 30 July 2006 @ 12:20am
Comment by johnruuderic on Saturday 29 July 2006 @ 4:44pm
typical of liverpool. a player must have a certain number of court appearances before signing for them. the supporters will treat them like one of their own
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 8:12pm
Good to see another brid in the team.
Comment by Robbie back in 9 on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:20pm
Pennant's young, english, quick and can cross the ball, what more can you want? Now Stevie can play in his proper position week in and We were always going to have to pay over the odds for a right winger, it's just a shame a quarter of it goes to the Arse.
Comment by mal on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:19pm
he'll do the bizz wait and see him and speedy go reds go
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:31pm
rafas the man, man
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:03pm
unstoppable now watch us go
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:11pm
a bargain dont you think, we have struggled to get a right winger now weve got one ,gerard set free cool go reds go reds champions elite
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 5:24pm
i think it could end up the bargain of the season ,next to alonso(hes going to be the master). so we shall wait and see. dont knock it yet we might be surprised
Comment by Xabi d'G8 on Thursday 27 July 2006 @ 9:26am
Itwas a good signing perhap may resolve Liverpool right side problem eventhough I reckon more experience player i.e. camonaresi or Simao. Since our money is limited, I believe it was a good business. In Rafa We Trust
And Arsenal took a good slice of the sell on fee!