Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant plans on moving into coaching once his playing days are over.

You would be forgiven for thinking Jermaine Pennant has disappeared entirely. He was a household name in England for many years, before trying his hand abroad and ending up at, of all places, Billericay Town.

The Essex-based club play in the Bostik Premier League, which is the seventh tier of English football. At 34, many believed he made the move simply to wind down before retirement. However, Pennant is adamant that there were good reasons for the switch, mainly a future coaching role.

“There were so many options,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. “It was not only Hibs. I could have gone to Turkey, Cyprus, back to India, Indonesia. This was definitely not the only deal on offer.

“People wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I went to the top division in Turkey or Cyprus but this is about the big picture. When I had the offer from Glenn Tamplin [Billericay’s millionaire owner and now manager] I couldn’t turn it down. There could be opportunities here to prepare for coaching or management.”

Pennant was the most expensive teenager in England at one point, having arrived at Arsenal for £2m when he was 15. He scored a hat-trick on his Premier League debut but was seldom seen again. He impressed enough at Birmingham to earn a move to Liverpool and made an appearance in the 2007 Champions League final.

From there, he ended up hopping from club to club, before finally ending up at Billericay. He believes he made the right choice moving down to Essex, however. “I feel good here. It’s the next step and I’ve had a taste of everything football can throw at you … the highs, the lows, the in-betweens. I can bring everything I’ve learnt to what I do here.”