According to The Sun, Manchester United are targeting Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan; whilst Jermaine Pennant has claimed in an interview with The Times that his 1999 transfer to Arsenal was a mistake.
The Belgium international was part of a midfield trio that impressed during a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid yesterday evening and has been in good form throughout the season, averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.7 shots and 49 completed passes per match from 23 Serie A outings.
The Sun claim allegedly incoming manager Jose Mourinho is particularly fond of the industrious 27-year-old, who is rated at £20.5million by the British tabloid, and could therefore be included in the Red Devils’ planned £300million summer spending spree.
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Meanwhile, Jermaine Pennant has admitted in an interview with The Times that his 1999 move to Arsenal came too soon in his career. The Gunners splashed out a whopping £2million on the winger when he was just 15 years of age and tipped to become the greatest English talent of his generation.
But the now-33-year-old managed just twelve Premier League appearances during six years in north London and with the exception of reaching a Champions League final with Liverpool, endured a rather mediocre career.
Speaking with The Times, he said; “It was too soon for me. Looking back now, I wish I could have waited longer. Don’t get me wrong. It was fantastic. Being at Arsenal, being around Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, all those great players and great coaches, was one of the best times of my career.
“But I’d played for the first team at Notts County, whereas Arsenal wanted me to slip into the youth team. I didn’t start a league game until I was 20. That was almost five years. Frustration crept in and I didn’t handle the pressure well. I didn’t have the discipline. That caused havoc for me.”
The former England U21 now plies his trade with Singapore outfit Tampines Rovers.