I’m a former Premier League star who signed for club in MALTA – I lasted three weeks because I had problems getting paid

FORMER Premier League star Francis Jeffers has revealed how he ended up signing for a Maltese club for THREE weeks.

The ex-Arsenal and Everton striker made a move to the Meditteranean island in 2012.

GettyFrancis Jeffers has revealed how he ended up signing for a Maltese club for THREE weeks[/caption]

GettyJeffers used to play for Premier League sides Everton and Arsenal[/caption]

Jeffers, 43, who started his career at his boyhood club Everton saw his career take him to the Gunners, Charlton, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle Jets and Motherwell.

But after leaving the Australian side Newcastle the forward ended up signing for 26-time Maltese Premier League winners Floriana in October 2012.

However, after only two appearances and one goal Jeffers left the club.

Jeffers exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “I didn’t have a club at the time, and someone came to me and told me there was a club in Malta who were interested in signing me.

“Without naming any names, I knew the person who was trying to take over the club.

“So I went out there and played a couple of games. But what was originally said to me, never ended up materialising.”

The former Toffees man only stayed for three weeks but joined the club with pal and ex-Millwall goalkeeper Tony Warner who ended up staying in Malta for the season.

He continued: “I actually went out there with Tony Warner, the ex-Millwall goalkeeper.

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“He was around the Liverpool squad for a few years in the 90s before he moved on, but he’s a friend of mine and so me and him actually went out there together. 

“We lived out there together for three weeks, I think, before I just said to him “I’m not hanging about here!”

“He ended up staying out there for most of the season I think; he was obviously hanging around to get paid, I think!”

The one-cap England star admitted it was a “battle” from when he got there from not receiving paychecks to the lower standard of playing.

Jeffers continued: “I quickly realised I was probably going to be hanging around there for a long time before things got moving.

“And then obviously I’d had problems with getting paid within the first month, and so I just thought ‘I’m not wasting my time here’.

“It probably wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made, to be honest!

“The Maltese league has actually got a lot better over the last few years.

“So it probably was a case of right place, wrong time, for me. They were trying to get some decent names out there but I just don’t think they were ready at all back then. 

“I remember going to the training ground, well it wasn’t really a training ground; I just thought ‘this is gong to be a bit of a battle, this…’”

Jeffers now coaches was most recently a first-team coach at Oldham Athletic but left last summer to take on a role in Saudi Arabia.