Former Arsenal star on trial in Southeast Asia

Former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has gone to Singapore for a trial at Tampines Rovers. He previously failed a trial at Muangthong Club (Thailand).

The former Premier League star said that he was not in Singapore for money but to access the opportunity to play football in the S-League, helping the S-League attract more spectators as well as stimulate the love of football of the island's children. If it was for money, he would still play football in Europe, not Asia, but Southeast Asia. In 2006, Pennant moved from Birmingham to Liverpool for £6.7 million. Recently, when he joined Wigan, Pennant asked for a weekly salary of £25,000 but the club did not meet that request.

Photo series of Jermains Pennant training with Tampines Rovers.

If Tampines Rovers accept the signature of this former Liverpool star, they will have to pay 30,000 USD/month. This is the highest salary in the history of S-League. Currently, Home Utd striker Zsolt Bucs has the highest monthly salary of 15,000 USD in S-League, while Singaporean player Harris Harun is paid 31,000 USD/month by the team of Malaysian prince Johor Darul Tezim (M-League).

When the Singaporean press questioned why Pennant's trial at Muangthong in Thailand last November failed, the former England U-21 international said: "There we had problems with salary negotiations, not technical issues. On the other hand, when I arrived in Muangthong for a month, I wasn't fully prepared for everything. But now that I'm in Singapore, I'm ready."

There is no doubt about the 32-year-old's technical ability, but whether a Singaporean club would dare to spend money to recruit Pennat is another matter.

According to PLO