Jan 20 2009
Jermaine Pennant Joins Portsmouth
Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season. He’ll now be reunited with former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch, and Tony Adams will be hoping that Pennant can really settle in well at Fratton Park.
Jermaine Pennant’s career actually began in the Notts County youth system, playing for the club up until the age of 15 when he was then signed by Arsenal for £2 million, at the time making him the most expensive trainee ever. Pennant only made a handful of appearances during his six years at Arsenal, and failing to live up to the promise that had led Arsene Wenger to pay so much money for him at such a young age; he was loaned out to Watford, Leeds, and Birmingham, before joining Birmingham on a permanent basis in 2005.
Pennant spent just one season with Birmingham before Liverpool snapped him up for £6.7 million, and despite recent interest in the player from such clubs as AC Milan and Real Madrid; Pennant has remained with Liverpool, and has now been allowed to move out on loan to Portsmouth.
This loan move to Portsmouth will provide Jermaine Pennant with an opportunity to prove what he can do in the Premier League, and he’ll surely be hoping to show Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez exactly what he’s been missing in keeping him out of first team action at Anfield this season.
Despite interest from other clubs; Jermaine Pennant has declared that he’d like to stay at Liverpool, and is more than happy to compete for a place in the first team. It would seem that he doesn’t currently figure in Rafa Benitez future plans for the club, if Pennant can play well at Portsmouth however then it may just be enough to change Benitez’ mind.
So until the end of the season at least; Jermaine Pennant is now a Portsmouth player, and he’ll now be looking to impress at Fratton Park, and prove himself in Hampshire. 26 year-old Jermaine Pennant is a very good player, and now is the time to get his career back on track as he spends the second half of the 2008/09 season on loan at Portsmouth.
