| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jermaine Pennant | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Liverpool | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:56, 27 July 2006 (UTC) | |||
Jermaine Pennant (born January 15 1983 in Nottingham) is an English football player who signed for Liverpool in July 2006. A right-sided midfielder, he has previously played for Notts County, Arsenal, Watford, Leeds United and Birmingham City.
Pennant is of half-Jamaican descent, but has opted to represent England internationally; although he has played at under-21 level, he has not yet played for the senior team.
Whilst his career so far has been marred by off-field problems, he has been considered one of English football's biggest talents for a number of years. He is an old-fashioned winger who provides maximum width and possesses an excellent cross. He is also dangerous in dead ball situations and has a good work rate off the ball.
Pennant was signed at the age of 15 by Arsenal from Notts County for £2 million, a record fee for a trainee at the time, but failed to fulfil his promise amidst a string of disciplinary problems. These included being sent home by England Under-21 coach Howard Wilkinson for breaking a curfew before an important game against Turkey, and being sent off for punching an opponent in a game against Poland under-21s. He is now too old to be eligible for England U21s, meaning he is unable to add to his tally of 24 caps, the fourth-highest in history.
Pennant's career seemed promising following his move to Arsenal. He scored a hat-trick on his full FA Premier League debut, against Southampton in May 2003; these were also his only Arsenal league goals. However, he did not manage to secure a regular place in the Arsenal side; Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger appeared to have lost patience with Pennant, who had a history of turning up late to training. Pennant spent spells on loan to Watford, Leeds United, and latterly Birmingham City, before signing permanently with them in April 2005. In the 2005–2006 English Premier League Season, Birmingham City were relegated to the Championship (Level 2).
Following speculation throughout the summer, on the 26 July 2006, it was confirmed that Liverpool had completed the signing of Pennant from Birmingham on a four year contract for a fee of £6.7 million, potentially rising to £8 million with add-ons [1] It is understood that Arsenal FC will receive around 25% of the fee.
After impressing in pre-season, Pennant made his Liverpool debut against Maccabi Haifa in a Champions' League 3rd round qualifying match at Anfield where he went on to win the fans' Star Man award. [2] Such an impressive start to his Liverpool career has seen him being compared to his boyhood heros John Barnes and Robbie Fowler [3]
On 23 January 2005, Pennant was arrested and charged with drink-driving after crashing his Mercedes into a lamp-post in Aylesbury, while serving a sixteen month driving ban and uninsured. Upon being arrested, Pennant initially gave his name as that of Arsenal teammate Ashley Cole. Pennant pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving whilst disqualified, and he was sentenced to ninety days in prison on 1 March.[4] He was released on parole after just thirty days and immediately returned to playing for Birmingham, although he had to wear an electronic tag at all times, including while on the pitch. His problems continued, as he was reportedly involved in other incidents resulting in Birmingham's manager, Steve Bruce, issuing him with a warning. [5]