by Batman Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:22 am
JERMAINE Pennant could be set for a sensational move to Real Madrid – despite claims he may be on the brink of turning down the move over personal terms.
Liverpool accepted an offer in the region of £3m from the La Liga outfit yesterday and a deal could yet be completed if his personal terms can be resolved.
Pennant is out of contract at Anfield in the summer and would be able to leave Liverpool on a free transfer once his current deal expires in June. So any transfer fee brought in during the January transfer would be welcomed by the Reds.
Several Premier League clubs have been interested in signing the 25-year-old, with Wigan keen to take him on loan in January, and Stoke City and Blackburn having attempted to buy him last summer.
But the interest from Real has come out of the blue and Liverpool will be hoping that a deal can be concluded that would lead to Pennant plying his trade at a club outside the Premier League.
Having signed Pennant from Birmingham for a fee of £6.7m in the summer of 2006, Rafa Benitez made it clear that he was willing to let him go during the last transfer window.
A move failed to materialise, though, and with the clock ticking down on his contract Liverpool know that the January transfer window represents their last opportunity to recoup any of their outlay on a player who has made 79 appearances.
Pennant has found himself out of the first team picture this season and has only played four games with Dirk Kuyt being preferred by Benitez on the right hand side of midfield.
Since being Liverpool's best player in the 2007 European Cup final defeat to AC Milan, Pennant's Anfield career has been on a downward spiral, and news of Real's interest is likely to be as surprising to football fans in Spain as it is in this country.
Newly appointed Real boss Juande Ramos is keen to bring in a player who can add some width to his side and has earmarked Pennant as the man to do it.
With a fee having been agreed one of the most unlikely transfers in recent times has taken a massive step towards being completed.
Personal terms proved a stumbling block to potential transfers in the summer, though, and there are no guarantees that Pennant will come to an agreement with Real, particularly as he will be a free agent in just six months time.
Liverpool have suffered another injury blow with the news that right back Alvaro Arbeloa is facing a spell on the sidelines.
The Spanish defender pulled up during training yesterday and is believed to have sustained a hamstring strain.
The extent of the injury was being assessed at Melwood today, but Arbeloa is likely to be out for at least a fortnight, leaving Benitez with the option of shifting Jamie Carragher to right back or promoting promising youngster Stephen Darby.
The news on Fernando Torres is more promising, however, after assistant manager Sammy Lee revealed that the striker's progress from his own hamstring injury is "marked".
Meanwhile, Lee has responded to comments made by former Liverpool star Mark Lawrenson in a newspaper column in which the Match of the Day pundit said he "felt sorry" for his former Anfield team mate during Sunday's draw with the Gunners.
Lawrenson said that the sight of Lee "scurrying to the goalkeeper coach to get another message" from Benitez suggested that he wasn't being trusted to take charge of the team by his absent boss.
But Lee told the ECHO: "Apparently, one of my former colleagues feels sorry for me, and while I appreciate his obviously genuine concern for me, I am really proud to be at this club in the position that I am in which is assistant manager.
"Being assistant manager I will assist the manager in whichever way I can and whether that be by phone, by text or whatever, we will continue to help each other and try to get the very best for this team and this football club.
"So, while I appreciate his concern, it is unfounded because I am pleased to be where I am."
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Carra and Hypia will start tommorow IMO, so we shouldn't see Carra at RB.