three-month prison sentence by the courts. Despite this, Birmingham manager Steve Bruce and chairman David Gold vowed to stand by Pennant once his sentence was over. He was released from prison after serving 30 days and wore an electronic tag in a match against Tottenham Hotspur. Pennant signed a permanent contract with Birmingham on 25 April 2005 for a fee of £3 million. He again struggled with discipline problems in 2005–06 as the club battled against relegation. Ultimately, Birmingham were relegated to the Championship after they drew 0–0 with Newcastle United. Following Birmingham's relegation, Liverpool made a bid for Pennant. Liverpool On 26 July 2006, Pennant signed for Liverpool on a four-year contract for a £6.7 million transfer fee, potentially rising to £8 million with add-ons. After impressing in pre-season, Pennant made his Liverpool debut against Maccabi Haifa in a UEFA Champions League third round qualifying match at Anfield, where he went on to win the fans' Star Man award. On 20 January 2007, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in their 2–0 home victory over Chelsea in the Premier League. On 31 March, Pennant participated in a 4–1 win against his former club Arsenal. After not being chosen for the England squad to play Israel and Andorra in March 2007, Pennant expressed the lack of recognition from England manager Steve McClaren as "frustrating". Pennant started the 2007–08 season in good form, putting in strong performances on either flank as Liverpool reached the top of the Premier League table in the first month. However, he was again ignored by McClaren for the England team in their European Championship qualifying matches against Israel and Russia, despite the backing of Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez. As Liverpool struggled to regain their early season form following the international break, Pennant too could not maintain his form. On 18 September 2007, Pennant was sent off against Porto in Liverpool's opening UEFA Champions League match of the season. In January 2009, Pennant was loaned out to Portsmouth, where he spent the second half of the 2008–09 season. He played 13 league matches for Portsmouth without scoring a goal. Pennant was not offered a new contract by Liverpool following his return, and he subsequently became a free agent when his contract expired on 1 July 2009. Real Zaragoza On 9 July 2009, Pennant passed a medical and signed a three-year deal at Real Zaragoza. He made