Opta Jury: Jermaine Jenas
Tottenham Hotspur have spent heavily on their midfield ranks in recent seasons.
Tottenham Hotspur have spent heavily on their midfield ranks in recent seasons, most recently with the purchase of Danny Murphy from Charlton Athletic.
Spurs' biggest outlay, however, was on another England international, Jermaine Jenas. A cool £7 million was paid into Newcastle United's account for his services, a fee that raised eyebrows amongst some supporters.
Jenas may only be 22 years old but he has already seen a total of £12 million paid for his services by two clubs and, with Spurs pushing hard for a place in next season's UEFA Champions League, he could yet develop into a key performer for the national side too.
He scored nine Premiership goals and created eight others in his 110-game spell at St James' Park, but he is already almost halfway to matching that goal total in his fledgling Spurs career. Martin Jol has placed plenty of responsibility on Jenas' shoulders and the Nottingham-born player seems to be learning from the likes of Edgar Davids.
| | Jermaine Jenas | |
| Team | Newcastle United | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Appearances | 110 | 21 |
| Goal Attempts | | |
| Goals | 9 | 4 |
| Shots On Target | 35 | 8 |
| Shots Off Target | 54 | 14 |
| Conversion rate | 10% | 18% |
| Shooting accuracy | 39% | 36% |
| Passing | | |
| Goal Assists | 8 | 3 |
| Total Passes | 4152 | 721 |
| Pass Completion % | 82% | 83% |
| Defending | | |
| Tackles Made | 257 | 74 |
| Tackles Won % | 68% | 74% |
| Discipline | | |
| Fouls | 92 | 38 |
| Yellow Cards | 10 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
Jenas' Premiership-career pass completion has always remained above 80 percent, which is an excellent standard. Equally impressive is the fact that he has never been shown a red card in 131 top-flight games. Technically he was sent off at Arsenal on the opening weekend of this season but the offence was reduced to a yellow card on appeal.
Spurs are able to field a virtual England reserve midfield now with Murphy, Jenas, Michael Carrick and Aaron Lennon all on the fringes of international recognition. Jenas' progression at Spurs suggests that he will make his impact in the white of England sooner rather than later.
What do you think? Has Jenas been a hit, a miss or is the jury still out? Let us know using the feedback form below.
