Jermaine Pennant has referred to former Celtic boss Neil Lennon as a ‘good guy’ as the ex-Liverpool winger opened up on a failed trial spell under the Irishman. Speaking to Open Goal’s Si Ferry and Paul Slane (who both were at Celtic with Lenny), the former Liverpool winger said that Lennon was brilliant with him but that Hibs’ offer fell below his expectation.
“We got on well. He’s a really good guy. I was there for about six weeks and they put me in an apartment. “It was pre-season so I did it to get fit and we played a few games. I stayed in Edinburgh which is a lovely city.
“I spoke to Neil and he said he would go back to the board but he said (the low offer) was because they needed a striker or certain other positions.”
Lennon spoke to Pennant after the well-traveled winger received an offer that was lower than expected. The budget at Easter Road meant that Lennon was restricted in terms of who he could bring in, leaving Pennant free to join Billericay Town.
“So they said that was all they could do and they couldn’t budge. So I was like: ‘Right where’s my car?’.
“I swear the offer was in the hundreds (per week). I felt violated!”
Lennon was a success at Hibs, guiding them to the Premiership after numerous failed attempts. After a bust-up in Edinburgh, Lennon left Hibs in early 2019 and was back in football shortly after Brendan Rodgers elected to switch Celtic Park for Leicester. In his second spell, Lennon won five trophies in this time after arriving as interim boss in Feb ’19. He spent two years at the club, leaving in Feb ’21 – where he is said to have received a £600k pay-off.
