Why there's more to the 'Jermaine Pennant to Aston Villa' stories than meets the eye

There have been reports linking Jermaine Pennant with a move to Aston Villa , but at the moment, the player knows nothing about it. Pennant joined Zaragoza in the summer and he knows he has not yet done himself justice in Spain.

Injuries, combined with a natural settling in period, means that we have not yet seen what he can do in La Liga - and he wants to put that right that by staying till the end of the season.

He knows that offers from the Premier League will arrive every window, but he has a two year contract with the Spanish side.

However, Zaragoza might be thinking differently and would welcome an offer from Villa as they have debt issues.

A Zaragoza player, Pavon, even advised a couple of potential signings (Torres at Getafe and Negredo, now at Sevilla) not to join Zaragoza as they ran the risk of not getting paid – and he’s since been punished for it.

Gulliem Balague's column appears in association with www.icons.com

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