Jermaine Pennant may have made his loan spell permanent with Stoke but boss Tony Pulis reasons that is no excuse for the 27 year old to let standards slip. The former Liverpool and Arsenal player has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal from Spanish side Real Zaragoza.
"It's very important now that Jermaine realises and recognises that he has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and we are expecting him to continue playing as well as he has done since we've had him on loan," Pulis said.
"Players sometimes have something to fight and work for and they pull all the stops out to do that.
"We have given him the contract and the first thing I said to Jermaine was, 'Now make sure you don't take your foot off the pedal.'
"He has been exceptional for us, the players like him, he is good around the place and he has worked hard in training.
"The last thing we want now is Jermaine signing the contract and then thinking, 'I've got two-and-a-half years, I can take my foot off the pedal.'
"We are not paying him the money we are and we have not paid the money we have to Zaragoza for him to come here now and think ,'I can put my feet under the table."'
