Jermaine Pennant chooses Wigan over Real Madrid

• zocoss

  24 Dec 08, 15:30

  Liverpool's Pennant Snubs Real Madrid... For Wigan Or Stoke!

  The Reds' out-of-favour winger may just have blown the biggest opportunity of his faltering career...

   

  

   

  According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant has priced himself out of what would have been an amazing move to Real Madrid.

  The British tabloid claims that the Reds and the Merengues were on the verge of sealing a surprise €3.7 million deal when talks broke down last night due to Pennant's wage demands.

  The former Arsenal player, who has made just two Premier League starts this season, was reportedly asking for around €64,000 per week - roughly twice Madrid's €1.6 million-a-year offer.

  Thus, the Spanish giants have pulled out of negotiations and turned their gaze elsewhere - perhaps to Aston Villa's Ashley Young or Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon, both of whom have been linked with the Bernabeu.

  Meanwhile, Pennant's prospects look comparitively bleak. Either he will remain a largely unused squad player at Anfield, or he will be sent on a six-month loan in January.

  But his destination, should he leave, won't be a European superpower. Indeed, it looks like he may have to make do with one of England's less fashionable clubs.

  Wigan Athletic and Stoke City are thought to be vying for the 25-year-old's services as they look to add quality to their squads and keep distance between themselves and the relegation battle.

  The Latics must be considered favourites to land the ex-Birmingham City star, as JJB boss Steve Bruce was manager at St Andrew's during the player's tenure there.

• omgukilledkenny

  24 Dec 08, 15:34

  

• Chris88110

  24 Dec 08, 15:34

  Maybe he wants garunteed firstteam action which i don't think he'd get if he signed for RM

• dragg

  24 Dec 08, 15:35

  he should fit in just nice at stoke.

   

• hmsg

  24 Dec 08, 15:51

  madness or greedy, leave it for u to decide...

• zocoss

  24 Dec 08, 16:13

  Actually he is not a bad player, a rather good one I feel... I still remember that goal he scored against Chelsea... Perhaps he knows his contract is ending at Pool and if he don't sign, he can walk away as a free transfer in a few months time... Real also could see his limited contract left that's why they want him... Cos he cost so cheap at about $3m pounds...

  I think they plan to sign him and if he don't make it, (which they probably don't expect him to) they could still sell him to a number of mid-table English sides who wouldn't mind paying anything from $6m to $8m pounds to bring him back if he still had a 3 to 4 yrs contract left...

  But if he makes it... They can keep him or sell him for more. Either way they win.

  And from Pennant's point, why should he take a pay cut to join another club? I think he is about 6 months away from becoming a frre player so he should happily sit in there drawing his weekly salary from Pool and when the time comes... walk away a free player and join which ever club you want with a handsome sign on fee for his own keep... And normally, players who take such route gets a higher weekly salary to go with the sign-on free too. So, not so silly i would say.

• Scania N113CRB l0v3r

  24 Dec 08, 16:20

  I salute Pennant a Famous  Club also dun wan, well he not like Diarra

• zocoss

  24 Dec 08, 16:33

  Real has done this type of stuff before, sign those players that has little time left on their contract at cheap price then keep them on the bench. The following year sell them for a handsome profit. Owen was the biggest one. Saviola is also very similar... Signed him for free then want to sell him for big bucks... Throwing his name around hoping someone would take their offer of around $10 to $12m... It seems Van Der Vaart is now becoming the next...

• kajagugu

  24 Dec 08, 19:43

  but Pennant different quality from Owen and Saviola....

• No9

  24 Dec 08, 20:05

  i tink he feels he will start every game if he goes to Stoke. madrid???...prob bench warmer again.

• Scania N113CRB l0v3r

  24 Dec 08, 21:55

  Plz Lar think they are Rich Club Meh wan to buy Pennant u think Pennant so stupid to go there no first team to play ltr drop to 2nd team .... 

• zocoss

  25 Dec 08, 02:27

  Originally posted by kajagugu:

  but Pennant different quality from Owen and Saviola....

  
  What so different from Saviola? Saviola is worse I think... He was at Barce and Barce didn't offer him a new contract and when it ended, they released him for nothing... Real saw the opportunity and took him then during the summer after they kept him for a year, they tried to sell him for a high price... Wenger was said to be interested at one point but the price Real quoted scare him away...

  This Pennant is still a decent player and at 25 yrs old only, he is still young. If Sunderland can pay $6m for Richardson, Pennant could worth a little more.

  Like I said, Real want to sign those with little time left on their contract then play them a bit then keep them on the bench until they become unhappy... But in order for them to make a profit, the player must be on low salary otherwise they can't get a good price for the player as the buying club will have to take into consideration the player's salary together with the transfer fee.

   Look at what is happening to Van Der Vaart now...

• reyes

  25 Dec 08, 09:59

  it wonr be surprise is wigan or stoke can offer a higher salary than real madrid.

  thus it wonr be surprise if pennant want to seal a move to club who can meet or offer higher wage demand than real.

   

  in football these days, money make a very impt decision in footballer career.  in fact i salute diarra for choosing real and man city. coz he might just miss the chance of his lifetime to command a higher salary. that chance is almost gine once he start to warm the bench at real./

• zocoss

  29 Dec 08, 02:10

  Real Madrid to come back for Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant

   

  

  In demand: Real Madrid want to sign Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant

   

  Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has moved back to the top of Real Madrid's wanted list of wingers because the Spanish club appear to have blundered by signing players ineligible for the Champions League.

  Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra is joining them for £20million and Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is moving for £18m.

  But clubs are only allowed to add three players to their Champions League squad mid-season and only one of those can have played in the UEFA Cup.

  Both Diarra and Huntelaar have played in the UEFA Cup this term but, while Pennant was listed in Liverpool's Champions League squad, he has not played in the competition and so is eligible, making him favourite to secure an extraordinary move.

• limpper

  29 Dec 08, 21:20

  the chairman wants him, but not ramos.

• zocoss

  29 Dec 08, 23:06

  Juande Ramos Steps In To Stop Mijatovic Signing Liverpool's Pennant For Real Madrid

  The Spanish champions' quest for a new winger has seen Juande Ramos challenge Predrag Mijatovic for the first time in a bid to stop the club wrapping up a deal to sign Jermaine Pennant, a report claims...

  

   

  Juande Ramos has confronted Predrag Mijatovic and told him that he does not want Real Madrid to sign Jermaine Pennant from Liverpool and would rather focus on prising Antonio Valencia away from Wigan Athletic, according to Sport.
  
  Los Merengues' new coach has opted to step in to prevent the club's sporting director continuing the chase for a player that he does not believe would fit in at the Bernabéu.
  
  Mijatovic is believed to have not realised if the UEFA rules that mean that both Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarrà cannot be registered for the Champions League and Ramos does not want another mistake to be made.
  
  The two winter arrivals have played for their previous clubs in the UEFA Cup and only one can play for Madrid in Europe and now the Spanish giants are weighing up whether to contest the law.
  
  Ramos has made it clear that he wants to add a new right winger to his ranks, but he does not agree with Mijatovic's choice and has now said his piece in order to prevent a transfer going through.
  
  Pennant is seen as a cheap option by Mijatovic and talks over a €3 million transfer have already taken place, with Reds' manager Rafa Benítez keen to see the back of a player he has used only three times this term.
  
  Madrid's coach, though, is said to have concerns about the player's goalscoring record as well as matters concerning his life off the field that have seen him have several brushes with the police.
  
  The report concludes that Antonio Valencia is Ramos' preferred option after Ashley Young was ruled out of the equation - having already played for Aston Villa in Europe - and he will ask the board to press ahead with an offer to Wigan instead.

• Merczrox

  29 Dec 08, 23:48

  Wow.suddenly got so many twists.

• zocoss

  30 Dec 08, 11:30

  UEFA STANDING FIRM ON REAL DUO

  
  
  

  UEFA have reiterated their stance that Real Madrid will not be able to register both Lassana Diarra and Klaas Jan Huntelaar to play in the Champions League knock-out stages.

  Regulations state that only one player who has already played in Europe this season can be registered.

  Holland striker Huntelaar has played in the Champions League with Ajax, while Diarra represented Portsmouth in the UEFA Cup prior to both players agreeing deals which will see them move to Madrid on January 1.

  Madrid have revealed they intend to appeal, claiming they have a "different interpretation" of the rule, but UEFA insist any complaints will fall on deaf ears and the Spanish champions will be forced to choose between their new signings.

  "The regulation doesn't offer any other meaning than it has and Real Madrid can only register one," said director of communications William Gaillard.

  "Making an exception now with Real Madrid would mean that we would have to pay attention to the different needs of each club and the consequence would be a never-ending chain of favours.

  "Many changes would happen which would end in changing the spirit of the competition."

  Gaillard did not rule out amending the rules in the future but insisted any change would happen at the end of the season.

  "Changing a rule in the middle of the competition is something that you shouldn't do," he said. "Because what Madrid are asking for is a new rule.

  "For any change you would have to wait until the end of the season. It is something that at this time we could look at, but there is an unwritten UEFA rule that is equally solid that indicates that a rule should not be changed in the midst of a competition."

  Despite Gaillard's comments, Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon is reportedly convinced of a successful outcome when club officials meet UEFA president Michel Platini in the next few days in an effort to resolve the matter.

   

• zocoss

  30 Dec 08, 11:41

  December 30, 2008
  

  Jermaine Pennant chooses Wigan over Real Madrid

  

   

  Jermaine Pennant, having turned his back on the opportunity to join Real Madrid, is being lined up instead for a move to Wigan Athletic to fill the void left by Luis Antonio Valencia, who is poised to join the Spanish champions.

  Juande Ramos, the Real coach, has been weighing up a number of Barclays Premier League players in his search for a new right winger, but having been priced out of a move for Ashley Young, of Aston Villa, and been put off by Pennant’s wage demands, it emerged last night that he is on course to complete a £14 million deal to bring Valencia to the Bernabéu shortly after the transfer window opens on Thursday.

  Pennant, the Liverpool winger, has been accused in some quarters of blowing the opportunity of a lifetime, but as well as being unhappy at the personal terms on offer in Madrid, he was not convinced that he would play regularly for Real or that Ramos truly wanted him. Despite being restricted to only three Premier League appearances for Liverpool this season after falling out with Rafael Benítez, the manager, he is in no rush to leave, but Wigan hope to persuade him to move to the JJB Stadium for £2.5 million.

  A complication is Liverpool’s determination to re-sign Emile Heskey, the Wigan forward, another player about to enter the final six months of his contract. Liverpool are confident that a deal for Heskey can be done, and whether the forward departs in January or in the summer, Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, is already working on a deal to replace him with Hugo Rodallega, the Colombia striker who plays in Mexico for Necaxa.

• sg_forum

  30 Dec 08, 11:52

  A very good choice indeed. Why would he wants to move to foreign country where he can't speak their language and warming their bench?

• limpper

  30 Dec 08, 16:39

  smart boy

• Scania N113CRB l0v3r

  30 Dec 08, 16:41

  Salute Is Required for this topic and for Jermaine Pennant u are a wonderful players i ever seen

• dragg

  31 Dec 08, 17:32

  he has monetary aspiration.  he is a good friend of ashley cole isnt it?

  cole left arsenal because of 5000 pounds isnt it?

   

• limpper

  31 Dec 08, 21:47

  huh? what 5000 pounds? that's little money a footballer like ashley