Jermaine Jenas considered Tottenham Hotspur exit
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas has revealed that he almost left the club to seek first team football elsewhere.
Jenas suffered a bad groin injury last season and hardly featured in the Premier League. There was reported interest in the player over the summer but he decided to stay on and fight for his place at Spurs.
Jenas has also lost his place in the England side and has a lot of work to do to force his way back into Fabio Capello's plans. However, he insists he has everything to gain and is fully committed to Tottenham.
There are a lot of positives to Jenas staying at Tottenham. However, with Rafael van der Vaart controlling the midfield, the player could be forced into a transfer this January.
Positives to staying
Spurs is one of the biggest clubs in England. The side is a genuine contender in every English domestic competition and is enjoying Champions League football for the first time in the club's history. These
are benefits that not all clubs can offer Jenas.
Jenas currently works under a great manager in Harry Redknapp. A lot of pundits agree that Redknapp knows better than most how to handle gifted and skilful English players.
Jenas has shown the club a good dose of loyalty by not moving to another team. The manager has to recognise this and it should mean that Jenas gets an extended run in the team at some point in the near
future.
Jenas said: "There has been constant rumours about me leaving but I just wanted to be settled and part of the
Tottenham team again. At one time I felt I'd have to leave because all I wanted to do was play football and I wasn't getting games here.
But despite the offers that came in, they were not worth leaving for."
The January window
The January transfer window presents an opportunity for Jenas to join a new club if he still isn't getting any attention from Spurs. There will be a few big clubs on the
hunt for a big player in the middle of the season and Jenas can put himself in prime position to join a great side.
He seems fully committed to Spurs for the time being and is trying his utmost to get into the first team. However, there is only so long he can keep this up before it becomes
clear that Redknapp doesn't see him in Spurs' plans for the rest of the season.
He added: "This is the best I've felt since a few years ago.
I was carrying a groin injury for at least a year – maybe because I was under a bit of pressure in my own position and I was trying to just delay, delay, delay the surgery. But I had to do it in the end. There's Champions
League football now and I'll be fighting tooth and nail to get a regular starting place."
Betting advice
Jenas gives the impression of a very determined and focused player. If he gets a start in any Spurs game over the next one or two weeks then back him to play well and score
the odd goal.
Betting in play is a great way to take advantage of his skill. This will allow a match to take shape and it will quickly be clear if Jenas is having a big impact.
Remember he takes some of the free kicks and other set pieces for Spurs. This will give him extra chances to create assists and score from dead ball situations.
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