26 June 2023 , 12:03
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Jermaine Pennant admits his plan to sign for Real Madrid greatly angered then manager Juande Ramos.
The former Tottenham and Sevilla boss spent a short stint at the Bernabeu and was less than impressed when he was informed about an agreement which would take Pennant to the Spanish capital. The winger had made his name at Liverpool, but was surplus to requirements at Anfield.
His representative held discussions with the Los Blancos hierarchy and a deal was struck, but not with the consent of Ramos. The coach decided to curtail the deal, leaving Pennant to quickly review his options and he end up heading south to Portsmouth on a six-month loan, before later ending up in Spain anyway.
He told El Periodico de Aragon : “When I was at Liverpool, Real Madrid came to sign me in my last year of contract. Sky Andrew (his agent) held negotiations with the president and he gave the green light to the agreement for about €4m. But Juande Ramos (Madrid boss at the time) was not aware of that operation. So when he found out he decided to knock the deal down. I went from Madrid to Portsmouth. A big change.”
Pennant has also told TalkSport previously: "The president went over Juande and he got angry. When we were going to sign him definitively, Juande was disappointed for doing it behind his back. He said he didn't want my signing and it never happened. So, thank you Juande."
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The winger would certainly have been a surprise signing for the Spanish giants, but by 2009 he was in LaLiga with Real Zaragoza. He would only spend a year at La Romareda before returning to Stoke, but he was a regular and was taken aback by the welcoming he received.
The winger spent a year in Spain with Real Zaragoza“I was free. I had offers in England but when Sky told me there was an option to go to Spain I said 'wow, that's very cool'," he added. "I thought my style of play would fit well in La Liga. I knew about Zaragoza. I had that memory of watching Nayim's goal against Arsenal on the (Cup Winners) Cup Final on TV.
"It was one of those clubs that you remember at the time when you talk about Spanish football. So it was an option that I found very attractive. I was treated like a star. I had not experienced something like when I was introduced. It was an experience I did not imagine. In England you go out, they take a picture of you with the scarf and that's it.
“There were a lot of people there in Zaragoza…I don't know, maybe 2,000 people? It was a shock. Zaragoza fans were very excited about my arrival."