may 7th
Jermaine Pennant is quite the conundrum. Talented enough for Arsene Wenger to pay £2m for him as a 15 year old, but going on five years later he’s still made just a handful of appearances for the club. He’s been dogged with rumours of ill-behaviour (Renegade Master styleeeee), lack of application, poor attitude, and basically acting the flash Harry when he’s done nothing to back it up but make a good salary at Arsenal.
He’s spent the last season on loan at Leeds and didn’t get called back even when we did have a bit of an injury crisis. But our eary friend wants to make it Arsenal (after saying he’d like to stay at Leeds all season, but he obviously doesn’t fancy the Nationwide). He says “The manager has said he wants me back as long as I am prepared to fight for a place I can have a future there, and I definitely am.”
Maybe he’s learned a lot at Leeds, maybe he’s seen Kolo Toure show what hard work, dedication and apllication can do for your career. Maybe. It’ll be interesting to see who he’s fighting for his place and whether he’ll be prepared to fight if we sign a right sided midfielder.
He won’t be fighting against Sylvia Wiltord though, who’s attracting the interest of some Germans. There’s a bloke we probably should have tried to get a few bob for last summer. Not taking anything away from him, he’s given us some good moments, but was the value of keeping him for one more season worth writing off the couple or three million we might have got last summer? Not sure that it was, to be honest. And another departure could be Stathis Tavlaridis, who has impressed during his loan spell at Lille. He’s got choices according to his agent, as Lille, 3 other French clubs and a couple of English sides all fancy a bit of Greek in the close season.
AW has hailed José Reyes‘ budding partnership with Thierry Henry, and warned that they’re only going to get better. THe boss says “Jose still has to adapt because on occasions he is still caught with his back to goal and he needs to get used to the physical side of the game. He also has to mature as he is only 20 years old, but it is very promising. He gets better and better.”
Right, I have a private class this morning, then parents evening this evening.
Should be fun.
