Newcastle United supporters have harbored a longstanding negative perception of Jermaine Jenas due to the circumstances surrounding his departure from the club. When Jermaine Jenas was transferred to Tottenham by Graeme Souness, reports circulated that he had expressed discomfort living in the area and being part of the club, likening it to residing in a ‘goldfish bowl.’ This suggested an inability to cope with the pressures associated with being a Newcastle player.
For two decades, Newcastle fans have held onto this belief. However, Jenas recently refuted ever making such statements, asserting on TalkSPORT that he has consistently denied those claims. Jenas, who initially excelled at Newcastle following his £5 million move from Nottingham Forest, earned the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2002/03 under Sir Bobby Robson before a contentious departure from the club.
“Under Graeme, I didn’t feel like our agendas aligned, which was strange.” He made me captain one minute, then moved me to left-back and signed Amdy Faye the next. I couldn’t figure out what he expected from me.
“I was really proud when we were playing against Yeading in the FA Cup.” Newcastle’s captain is a young man. Kieron Dyer, Patrick Kluivert, Craig Bellamy… and he’s appointed me captain.
“As we walked out, he (Souness) said, ‘We’ll talk about your contract situation next week.'” I never heard anything further about it. I was never able to figure it out. It was perplexing as a young player.”
Now a pundit and TV host, Jenas was transferred to Spurs for £8 million and went on to have a respectable career with Tottenham and the England national team. Contrary to the perceived pressure-related reasons for his exit, Jenas revealed that the true catalyst was Graeme Souness. The Souness era, synonymous with the advent of Mike Ashley and the beginning of a tumultuous period, was marked by Souness’s unpopularity among both fans and players. Almost two decades later, there is a willingness to accept Jenas’s perspective on his departure from Newcastle.