Bayern Munich were the odd ones out in strange Tranmere Rovers, Barnsley transfer run | OneFootball

A rapid rise from the EFL to one of Europe's biggest leagues would be a fairytale to most. But as this player proved, a happy ending isn't a given.

When Jude Bellingham joined German giants Borussia Dortmund after quickly becoming one of the EFL's stand-out players, Tranmere Rovers fans reading the news probably felt a sense of déjà vu - that's because fans of the Wirral-based club experienced a similar tale a decade before Bellingham made history.

A youth academy product breaks into the first team at a tender age, exceeds already-high expectations and suddenly half of Europe's bigwigs are falling at a lower-league English club's feet to get their hands on him. Tales like these truly demonstrate the beauty and romanticism of the EFL.

However, unlike Bellingham, this story didn't finish with its subject lifting major silverware. Instead, just two years after making a supposed dream move to Bayern Munich, Dale Jennings was back in the EFL after signing for Barnsley, with his dream of playing for a top European club properly up in smoke.

Dale Jennings captured imaginations for Tranmere Rovers as a teenager

Despite being unfortunately released by Liverpool at just 15 years old, Jennings made the short trip across the River Mersey and signed terms with Tranmere Rovers, and it wouldn't be long until he made his professional debut for them in a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic in September 2010, aged 17.

Jennings proved age was just a number that season as he went on to make 28 appearances for the club, and, remarkably, scored six times along with notching five assists in the process.

It was his winning goal against Plymouth Argyle, two months after his debut, which suddenly made everyone sit up and take notice of him, and in the 2011 January transfer window, a number of offers from Premier League clubs for Jennings were turned down.

However, as summer approached, it was always going to be a challenge for Rovers to retain Jennings' services, particularly after he was voted as League One's Apprentice of the Year for the 2010/11 season.

Dale Jennings' Bayern Munich deal never worked out as planned

In July 2011, just 10 months after making his Rovers debut, Jennings completed a move to German giants Bayern Munich. Whilst he would initially feature for the club's reserves, the Bundesliga was always the goal. Things seemed too good to be true for the young star, and it turned out they were.

His first season in Bavaria was plagued by injuries, and it wasn't until October of the next year that he scored his first competitive goal in a Bayern shirt. He bagged a consolation in a 2-1 defeat to Würzburger Kickers, with current Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can setting up the 19-year-old.

Jennings' goal in his next game against FC Augsburg II was arguably the first time he showed some of his Tranmere potential at Bayern, but the hype sadly wouldn't last.

He appeared in just three more Regionalliga Bayern games before it became clear a future in Bavaria was unlikely.

Two years after his dream move to Germany, Jennings headed back to England and signed for Barnsley. He scored two goals and bagged one assist in 36 games for Bayern's reserves, never breaking into the first team.

His time at Oakwell showed glimpses of his past self, and he scored six times in 50 appearances for the Tykes, also notching up seven assists.

However, he was released in 2015 and joined Milton Keynes Dons, where he spent a brief time on loan from South Yorkshire in 2013. That move only lasted seven months, and after having his contract terminated, it took Jennings two years before he headed for non-league in an attempt to salvage his career.

According to Transfermarkt, he has been without a club since 2022, after he left Prescot Cables, which seemingly ends the unfortunate tale of a player that promised so much, but was unable to deliver.

Dale Jennings career path is unlikely to ever be seen again

Jennings has since reflected on a crazy time in his career, a story that the next thousand EFL products are very unlikely to be able to tell about themselves.

"Luck wasn't on my side," he told Sky Sports News in 2018. "Being only 18, I didn't realise how big the move was.

"I wasn't professional enough and a bit immature."

Even though Jennings accepts mistakes were made in his decision to head to Germany, it would be wrong to suggest it was an easy one.

If you were a hot footballing prospect at 19 and one of the most successful clubs in Europe came calling for your signature, it would take a lot of guts and an incredibly mature mindset to politely decline and continue your career in the lower echelons of English professional football.

Jennings never featured in the Bundesliga and ultimately departed from Bayern Munich just as they began a run of 10 consecutive league titles and became Champions of Europe again. However, he probably walked into that dressing room at Oakwell with some of the most incredible stories ever told by a footballer at that level.