Jermaine Pennant (Winger)

i think he will be good for us a good signing by rafa

pennant alongside gerrard hes alredi a wizard and a hell of playmaker half a year an he'll be the next big thing

I think the lad has undoubted talent, and a very astute previous post as to what actually defines a 'troublemaker'.

I think playing for liverpool can bring the best out of some so called 'gambles' Kewell and Crouch being two that spring to mind in the recent past

I think Rafa has done enough to prove he is a very shrewd judge of a player, if he fancies pennant then I trust him.

Lets see what happens, I think he may prove to be a good (maybe in time great)signing, but as always, time will tell. I for one will get behind him 100% as long as he shows that he wants to play for the club and do his best, we cant ask more of the lad than that.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/pennant-on-way-out-as-liverpool-covet-bentley-829969.html

Jermaine Pennant was officially told by Rafael Benitez yesterday that he can leave Liverpool this summer as the club try to organise their resources to muster a serious bid for the Blackburn Rovers winger David Bentley. Pennant is a long-term target of Newcastle and Benitez is looking, at the very least, to recoup the £6.7m he spent on the player in 2006.


Pennant had been left to wait to learn his fate at Liverpool, although his gradual marginalisation this season, culminating in his omission from the squad for the final two League games, was a clear indicator that his time was up at Anfield. The 25-year-old was also one of three players offered as a potential makeweight in the £10m-rated deal to bring Gareth Barry to Liverpool. Yesterday, Benitez told Pennant, who has also attracted the interest of West Ham, that he could leave if the club got a price they thought was acceptable.

The top target to replace Pennant is Bentley who has already turned down a new contract at Blackburn worth between £40,000 and £50,000 a week – he has three years on his existing deal. Bentley would cost around £15m and is in demand this summer because clubs are eager to recruit young English players in case Fifa push through their quotas proposal that would insist on a certain ratio of homegrown players in every first XI.

For reasons that he has kept to himself, Benitez has insisted that the Liverpool players train from Wednesday to Friday this week although their season is over. While every other Premier League club barring Manchester United, Chelsea and Portsmouth have sent their players on holiday for the summer, the Liverpool manager called his squad in this week. More pressing for Benitez, however, is finding the funds to refit his squad again this summer.

Bentley for Pennant may look like a natural swap but the Liverpool manager will encounter competition from Chelsea and Tottenham for Bentley, although the strength of the London clubs' interest in the player is not yet clear. In the meantime, Benitez is trying to wring as much money as possible out of fees for his saleable assets in order to strengthen his squad.

Peter Crouch, valued at £15m by Benitez earlier this month, is not in talks with Portsmouth, as has been reported. The England striker, who is part of Fabio Capello's squad for the two end-of-season friendlies, is still waiting to learn whether the Liverpool manager is serious about demanding such an unrealistic fee for him. Portsmouth have already denied they were in negotiations for Crouch who has one year left on his contract and has not yet been given permission by Liverpool to discuss personal terms with any other club.

Scott Carson has also expressed dismay at the £10m price that Benitez has imposed on him. Now it seems the Spaniard's prohibitive valuations of both the England goalkeeper and Crouch are beginning to work against him as he tries to raise money quickly for summer signings. Potential clubs are simply waiting for the valuations to drop before they even begin to consider negotiating for the players in question. John Arne Riise has attracted interest from Serie A clubs as well as Newcastle and is another whom Benitez wants to use to raise cash.

The Liverpool manager needs something to break the current impasse in his club's transfer dealings. The Barry deal with Aston Villa is currently going nowhere; Crouch's future is unresolved and there is still the distinct possibility that Dubai International Capital will gain control of the club at some point this summer. Against that backdrop there will have to be some compromise over the next few weeks if Benitez is to get the ball rolling on his plans for this summer.

So far he has tied up the signing of the Swiss right-back Philipp Degen, 25, who will sign a four-year deal when he becomes a free agent later this month. The Borussia Dortmund player has been a long-term target for Benitez and he tried to sign him when he was Valencia manager just before he left for Liverpool in 2004.

Benitez said yesterday he was glad about the return of Sammy Lee to Liverpool as his assistant. "He knows about the passion of the club and about the standards that we set here so that will make it much easier for him to settle into his new role," Benitez said.


In all honesty. He may have been good enough for Leeds and Birmingham. But he wasn't good enough for Arsenal and not good enough for us.

Always a mid table club player but i like Jermaine. He was the only winger we had up untill Babel who would take a player on and most of the times win.

Good luck to you Jermaine, thanks for the memories and that amazing display in Athens. YNWA.

Does himself no favours with his off the field antics,but Rafa knew this before he signed him.

Wish he wasnt leaving but it looks like just a matter of who to now. I just beg the club dont sell him to newcastle, he's better than that. I wouldnt mind seeing him somewhere like man city or blackburn but not newcastle.

Great news!, Rafa's hopeful signings looking good.

Thank You Jermaine.

JP has been very ordinary for us. Thanks anyway ... and correct your off-field behaviour lad.

YNWA

Well I am a little disappointed to let Pennant go but excited of the possibility of Bentley to replace him, least Bentley has a better chance of starting every week as we all know what he's capable of.  I think Pennant himself knows he has got to the stage in his career where he has had the chance to shine at two top clubs and I feel he had his better days here and could have been a regular if it not for this Kuyt position but we won't go into that again eh

Anyway good luck Jermaine you have served us well my son

It's a shame, but I think it's about the best time for him to leave, for the club to have the chance of signing a better winger who could be in the starting XI every week, and for him to have the chance to play regular first-team footy. Anyone any idea what we could get for him? I know the article mentioned £6.7 million, but that's what we signed him for, so you'd expect us to get a bit more than that.

I hope we're getting someone much more better than Pennant. He had his moments of class and brilliance, much like any other 'above average' player; Bentley will have to be extra ordinary to be a suitable replacement for Pennant. So far he looks good to replace him; but to impress and be counted worthy, he has to show us the difference between a Pennant RM and a Bentley RM.

Clearly Rafa Benitez is going after Class and quality

David Bentley
- Played (Started) 37 games (a regular and consistent starter)
- Scored 9 goals (not bad)
- Assists 11 (can be better)

Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
- Played (started) 37 games (a regular and Consistent starter)
- Scored 9 goals (okay - Gerrard more than double that)
- Assists 10 (nice)

Ashley Young (We need to buy this player)
- Played 37 games
- Scored 8 goals
- Assists 17

Jermaine Pennant
- Played (started) 14 games; As a sub 4 games = 18 Total
- Scored 2 goals
- Assist (Not available)

Yossi Benanyun
- Played 26 - 28 games
- Scored 10 or 11 goals
- Assists (N/A)

Thanks for those stats solodee. Great to see how good yossi's goal tally is compared with that of those other right mids. Ashley young is ideal but it will be near impossible to get him. I think bentley is the answer, if we can get some cash together from the sale of pennant and meet their asking price, he looks to be the answer.

I've got to say I've admirred Pennant for the way he plays for a long time and I think he has deserved his place on the Liverpool wing this season (or as much of it as he has had). He's energetic and fast on the wing. However if Crouchie leaves then I've got to say that Jermaine goes to. This is simply because Jermaine is brilliant at crossing in balls, you put him on the pitch and he'll cross balls into the box, hes not much of a goal scorer but he can provide a hell of a good service in the box, and who do you want in the box to get 9/10 of your crosses? Crouch. If Crouch isn't there Pennant cant pick out another easy target to cross to. When they play on the pitch together brilliant - however a Pennant with no Crouch would mean that Pennant cant get those killer passers to the tall man, which means his service into the box could end up being pretty useless.

A winger who can score goals or who challenges more into the box would be good, whereas as Pennant is a more outter winger who prefers not to go in the box and cross.

Good luck Pennant whatever you do!

I've got to say I've admirred Pennant for the way he plays for a long time and I think he has deserved his place on the Liverpool wing this season (or as much of it as he has had). He's energetic and fast on the wing. However if Crouchie leaves then I've got to say that Jermaine goes to. This is simply because Jermaine is brilliant at crossing in balls, you put him on the pitch and he'll cross balls into the box, hes not much of a goal scorer but he can provide a hell of a good service in the box, and who do you want in the box to get 9/10 of your crosses? Crouch. If Crouch isn't there Pennant cant pick out another easy target to cross to. When they play on the pitch together brilliant - however a Pennant with no Crouch would mean that Pennant cant get those killer passers to the tall man, which means his service into the box could end up being pretty useless.

A winger who can score goals or who challenges more into the box would be good, whereas as Pennant is a more outter winger who prefers not to go in the box and cross.

Good luck Pennant whatever you do!

How many of Pennant's crosses were converted to goals by Crouch? How many goals did Crouch score with his head? I really think the Crouch/Pennant combo is hugely exaggerated.

Some players score very well with their heads; Adebayor (Arsenal) & Kanu (Portsmouth), Crouch scores more with his legs.

How many of Pennant's crosses were converted to goals by Crouch? How many goals did Crouch score with his head? I really think the Crouch/Pennant combo is hugely exaggerated.

Some players score very well with their heads; Adebayor (Arsenal) & Kanu (Portsmouth), Crouch scores more with his legs.

Crouch himself has praised Pennant as a strikers dream winger. He obivously provides the goods for him for Crouchie to be able to praise him doesnt he?

Crouch himself has praised Pennant as a strikers dream winger. He obivously provides the goods for him for Crouchie to be able to praise him doesnt he?

My point is; Pennant can remain in LFC, whether or not, Crouch remains. If Crouch has to leave, he doesn't drag Pennant's career out the door with him (crouch). Pennant can be valuable by himself. Personally, I think he should stay as a sub, but Rafa knows best.

My point is; Pennant can remain in LFC, whether or not, Crouch remains. If Crouch has to leave, he doesn't drag Pennant's career out the door with him (crouch). Pennant can be valuable by himself. Personally, I think he should stay as a sub, but Rafa knows best.

Fair enough good point. Pennant can be a good sub because hes energetic and has the pace. But as a personal thing, whenever I see Pennant on the pitch I like to see Crouch and vise versa.

The thing is; Pennant is a good crosser yeh? So who would a player who likes to cross alot like to see in the box. Crouch, simply because he'll win 9/10 crosses that come into the box. Pennant offers us pace and crosses, hes not a goal scorer so he wants someone tall and easy to target to cross into. Crouch is a very easy target.

Its not neccasarily the goals that Crouch scores from Pennants crosses, its the fact that Crouch can win those crosses which creates chances up front.

Fair enough good point. Pennant can be a good sub because hes energetic and has the pace. But as a personal thing, whenever I see Pennant on the pitch I like to see Crouch and vise versa.

The thing is; Pennant is a good crosser yeh? So who would a player who likes to cross alot like to see in the box. Crouch, simply because he'll win 9/10 crosses that come into the box. Pennant offers us pace and crosses, hes not a goal scorer so he wants someone tall and easy to target to cross into. Crouch is a very easy target.

Its not neccasarily the goals that Crouch scores from Pennants crosses, its the fact that Crouch can win those crosses which creates chances up front.

Good point mate. Good point.

How many of Pennant's crosses were converted to goals by Crouch? How many goals did Crouch score with his head? I really think the Crouch/Pennant combo is hugely exaggerated.

Although I haven't seen the stats Solodee but I would agree with that statemant. Pennant does put in a very good cross but for me that's about it. He doesn't offer enough goal scoring threat and only really performs in the games against the lesser sides in the league. He has had a few good games against the top sides but in my opinion he is too inconsistant and has went as far as he can with us.

I wish him well if he does move on and appreciate his efforts when selected.

The thing is........we have to look at it like this.

Is Jermaine Pennant good enough to take us to that next level, which is where we need to be to win the Premiership?

and the answer is no, he just simply is not good enough, shame, cruel, harsh, yes, all of these things and more.

I think he's a reasonable squad player, but only as back up I'm afraid.

Nothing has been said about the Pennant-move. It looks like he is here to stay.

JP has been very ordinary for us. Thanks anyway ... and correct your off-field behaviour lad.

YNWA

I agree with you on the last part defonatly, but he went through a good phase before his injury IMO pity he hasnt been able to revist that form