Jermaine Pennant had a roller-coaster career across many different clubs over the years, but he started off at Arsenal, and things could have gone so differently.
The Englishman was an outstanding young talent who broke through into the Invincibles team as a teenager in 2003, scoring a hattrick on his Premier League debut against Southampton.
He had joined the club as a 15-year-old from Notts County in 1999, and Arsene Wenger had potentially spotted another bargain, as he looked set to take on the World after his debut.
However, his three goals on his debut were his only league goals for the club, and he eventually faded away before leaving after making just five starts in seven years.
He would go on to play for the likes of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Stoke amongst others during his long career, and he has now sensationally claimed that one of his managers at his other clubs was the best he had, ahead of the legendary Wenger.
Jermaine Pennant names Steve Bruce as his best manager ahead of Wenger
Speaking to the Daily Star, Pennant named former Sunderland, Hull City and Newcastle boss Steve Bruce as his best coach, ahead of Wenger and ahead of Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.
“He is the best man manager that I’ve worked under,” Pennant stated of Bruce.
“He was amazing, for me, for my career. I owe a lot to Steve because he never gave up on me.
“He could have given up on me multiple times because I drove him around the bend at times. You know I got him in trouble sometimes, but he never, ever gave up on me and that is a great attribute to have.
“And in that I repaid him on the pitch. No matter what was going on, I made sure that I gave 110% on that field. On the back of that, I got rewarded with a move to Liverpool, so if I didn’t perform well on the pitch Liverpool would not be interested for that whole season.”
Why was Steve Bruce better for Pennant than Arsene Wenger?
Pennant played under Bruce for Birmingham City during a loan spell away from Arsenal, and made his move permanent after a year.
Bruce publicly supported Pennant during off-field issues, and he found arguably his best form in his second season there, despite the club suffering relegation to the Championship.
Pennant’s form under Bruce earned him a move to Liverpool, where after a promising start, he faded away again.
His enjoyment of Bruce’s man management is not a reflection of Wenger’s ability, particularly given how successful Arsenal were during that period, but it does highlight how quickly his potential to succeed at Highbury had disappeared.
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