I remember a young striker called Peter Coyne, who couldn’t
stop scoring for England’s youth team in the 1970s. He was at Manchester United
and what could possibly go wrong? Well, after just two first-team games and
just one goal, his contract was cancelled. He then slipped into the anonymity
of the non-league with Alan Ball’s old club Ashton United, but at least he
ended up scoring a lot of goals for Swindon and Crewe later in his career and
even had a spell with the LA Aztecs. Still, it was a case of unfulfilled
potential.
To some extent it was the same with Jermaine Pennant. I was
so excited when we signed him from Notts County. £2m was a record fee for a teenager,
but twelve league games in six years at Arsenal was hardly a decent return.
Despite his off-the-field problems, Pennant has gone on to have a decent career
in the top flight. He should have had senior England caps to add to his U21 appearance
though.
Let’s hope, if we do get Nabay he manages to do a lot better
than Pennant and Coyne.
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