Jermaine Jenas Net Worth
Nowadays he’s a regular feature on your television sets and spent his early professional years plying his trade in England’s elite football competition, the Premier League. Here we take a look at how that all comes together as we get under the hood of Jermaine Jenas’ net worth.
So, what is Jermaine Jenas’ net worth?
As of 2022, Jermaine Jenas’ net worth stands at £3m. That’s a sizeable chunk of wonga by pretty much anyone’s standards. With money having rolled in from various streams – many of which are in the mainstream – it is perhaps of little surprise. Jenas has, however, done remarkably well for himself with his childhood far from a ‘silver spoon’ upbringing.
Early Life
Formative years
Jenas, who was very nearly known as Jermaine Genas before his father, Dennis, opted to change the spelling of his surname for more aesthetically pleasing initials, was born to his parents on February 18th 1983. That makes him 39-years-old at the time of writing. Jenas’ parents hail from very different backgrounds with his mother, Lynnette, British and his father hailing from the Caribbean. Both played a key role in Jenas’ formative years with race a particular subject Jenas had to deal with as a youngster. Jenas was born and raised on a Nottingham council estate. The man himself has previously recounted occasions where he’d be on the receiving end of racial abuse; his mother would rage whilst his father would take a calm stance telling his son he was better than those hurling the insults.
Kicking on through adolescence
One of the things Jenas was better than most at was football; it’s another area where his dad took on a key role. Jenas’ dad had played football to a decent level in his own youth with trials at a number of professional clubs. They never worked out so his dad turned to coaching and, evidently, some of that talent and knowledge was passed down. As did some of the connections.
Life was far from easy for Jenas as a youngster though. He was educated at a Catholic school – Becket School in West Bridgnorth – but race and the nature of the area he grew up in were tough; Jenas was even robbed at knife point in his early life. On top of all that, Jenas’ parents split with his dad eventually moving stateside. As a teenager, there were periods where Jenas wouldn’t speak to his dad much at all; he was trying to put a lid on his emotions and adapt to being ‘man of the house’. His dad, who was known to be strict and demanding in his standards, remained heavily involved in Jenas’ football though – even if just from a distance or on occasions when visiting from America.
Breaking into football
With a childhood that focussed on standards, graft and football you might think it was a dream come true as Jenas aligned himself closer to a life in the professional game. In many ways it was; it wasn’t all plain sailing though. Around the age of 14, Jenas recalls feeling the urge to jack it all. Football, school and general life were all becoming to heavy to juggle. At the time he was on the books at Nottingham Forest, where his dad was a coach, and struggling to connect with another member of staff – namely Mick Raynor. A change of personnel though transformed Jenas’ time in the academy and, by association, his entire life.
The key coach in question was Paul Hart. Football was football; that’s how Jenas saw things. Hart though unlocked the door to fitness and it was there that Jenas found his real difference maker. Jenas didn’t just enjoy the fitness work but was exceptional at it. His work ethic to push through barriers impressed. Before Jenas knew it he was a 15-year-old paying in the under 17s, then the 18s and beyond. During this time, Jenas was tasked with playing in defence to develop his defensive skills, put on a specific workout plan to bulk up and, before he knew it, Jenas was the only member of his youth team to remain with the club. By the age of 17, Jenas had made his first team debut. Just 29 games later and he was heading to the Premier League in a £5m deal.
Life at Newcastle
Taking off
Jenas had been impressing in Division One after breaking through the Forest academy. His performances had caught the eye of Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United. The former Ipswich Town and England manager brought him to Tyneside in the February of 2002. The wages associated to the £5m move have remained under wraps; given he became the most expensive British teenage transfer after Robbie Keane, it’s likely to have been a low five figure weekly wage.
The hype and step up to the Premier League was an easy transition for Jenas. The club were going places with European football secured in Jenas’ first season as a Magpie; that summer saw Jenas don the Three Lions of England – albeit at under 21 level. Then, in his first full season at Newcastle, Jenas impressed so much that he scooped the PFA Young Player of the Year award. That same season saw him win his first full England caps. Off this pitch, a new long term contract was slapped on the table for him too; it saw his wage jump up considerably with our projections putting his weekly wage at around the £25k mark.
Struggling to maintain the high level
Jenas had set a high bar of expectation but, for one reason or another, the next couple of years saw him struggle to hit the same heights with his goal scoring a clear indication of things not quite going his way. Arguably, a big moment in time was Robson leaving Newcastle to be replaced by Graeme Souness. Initially, things were good under Souness with Jenas part of his leadership circle. Things didn’t stay like that for long.
The team saw form dip away from where they had been and Jenas and Souness had a rather blatant falling out. The player had claimed to be injured, the gaffer claimed he refused to play. Some say it was nothing, others say it was something. All we know is that soon after Jenas was on the move for a £7m fee; that’s some £13m less than what had been quoted as his value just a couple of months earlier.
Signing for Spurs and becoming an England regular
Martin Jol was at the helm when Tottenham signed Jenas on deadline day in 2005. It proved to be a very smart move for Jenas. The goal scoring touch he’d shown in his early days at Newcastle seemed to return and he was playing the best football he had done so in several years; it helped Tottenham reach Europe in the shape of the UEFA Cup. Clearly, Jenas had caught the eye in that team as he was named as part of the England squad that went to the World Cup in Germany in 2006. He never made an appearance at the tournament.
The 2006/07 season was littered with injuries for Jenas but he still weighed in with 12 goal contributions across 34 games in all competitions. That was despite him being played in various positions across the midfield. The reward for the performances and undoubted potential was a five year contract paying £45k per week; it certainly did little to harm Jermaine Jenas’ net worth! Some players pen a new deal and see performances dip; that’s not the case with Jeans.
Jenas saw a bump in salary but his displays kicked on a level too. A lot of that was helped by a managerial switch with Juande Ramos being appointed at Spurs. In many ways, 2008 was possibly the best season of Jeans’ career. Not only did he win the League Cup with Tottenham but he scored in each leg of the semi-final and set up a goal in the final too. The end of that season saw another year whacked onto his Tottenham contract; that ensured his high earnings would remain for at least 12 months longer.
A career in decline
After such highs in North London, it was believed Jenas had a real chance to kick on and establish himself as one of the best in his position; certainly amongst English talents. Injuries ensured it didn’t work out like that. He remained with Tottenham for several years but struggled to get out on the grass on a consistent basis. Eventually, loan moves became his best option of getting back to playing. Aston Villa was first up but he was stretchered off on his first start. Next came a return to Nottingham Forest, who paid £15k towards his £45k salary.
After an impressive first month, his deal was extended for a couple more but that proved the end of his homecoming. Jenas’ next move came in January 2013 as he penned an 18 month deal with QPR; they were managed by Jenas’ former Tottenham boss, Harry Redknapp. Jenas managed to play plenty of games for the Hoops but the club suffered relegation during his time there. Sure, a salary reduction followed that drop but Jenas remained at QPR and expressed his desire to repay the club’s faith in him. Unfortunately, just over half way through the Championship campaign he suffered an ACL injury that ultimately killed his career as a professional footballer.
Life after football
The end of a football career is known to be a tough transition; it’s even harder when the decision to stop is forced on you. Jenas though has done very well for himself. Predominantly, his work as come through television and radio, which is something he tasted during his latter playing career as he appeared on Match of the Day. The former England man’s official punditry career though started out with ITV but his on screen manner was so good that just a couple of months BT Sport approached him; he’s now a regular on their shows.
Despite all of that, Jenas is still probably most synonymous with MOTD; at least from a footballing media standpoint. His wages don’t match that of pundits like Alan Shearer but his reported salary of £205k per episode is circa £50k more than what Ian Wright pulls in for each appearance on the BBC show. He has long been tipped to eventually replace Gary Lineker as presenter of the Saturday night show.
Presenting is a different skill to being a pundit but it is something Jenas has extensive experience of. He, like fellow pundit Micah Richards, first tried his hand at presenting in a real-life documentary. Jenas’ documentary focussed on knife crime in his home town of Nottingham. His experience as the main man on camera isn’t limited to that one off though; he – along with Welsh presenter Alex Jones and singer Ronan Keating – is the face of prime time BBC show ‘The One Show’; that show has been presented by the likes of Gabby Logan and Jake Humphrey in the past.
With all that considered, it’s not too hard to believe that Jermaine Jenas’ net worth stands at £3m.