Former Arsenal star on trial in Southeast Asia.

Former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has traveled to Singapore for a trial at Tampines Rovers. Prior to this, he had an unsuccessful trial at Muangthong FC (Thailand).

The former Premier League star said he was in Singapore not for the money, but to gain access to playing opportunities in the S-League, helping the S-League attract more spectators and stimulating a love of football among the island nation's children. If it were for money, he would still be playing in Europe instead of coming to Asia, and Southeast Asia at that. In 2006, Pennant moved from Birmingham to Liverpool for £6.7 million. More recently, when he joined Wigan, Pennant demanded a weekly salary of £25,000, but the club did not meet that demand.

A series of photos 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 per month. This would be the highest salary in S-League history. Currently, Home Utd striker Zsolt Bucs has the highest monthly salary in the S-League at $15,000, while Singaporean international Harris Harun is paid $31,000 per month by Johor Darul Tezim (M-League), a team owned by Malaysian prince Johor Darul Tezim.

When questioned by Singaporean journalists about why Pennant's trial at Muangthong in Thailand failed last November, the former England U-21 player said: "There, we had problems with salary negotiations, not with the players themselves. Besides, when I arrived at Muangthong a month later, I wasn't fully prepared. But now that I'm in Singapore, I'm ready."

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

According to PLO