English Soccer: Benayoun back with Blues
01/04/2013 00:25
Benayoun is expected to speak to his new boss in the next few days as he looks to resolve his future.
YOSSI BENAYOUN Photo: Asaf Kliger
Yossi Benayoun officially returned to Chelsea Thursday after his loan at fellow
London club West Ham United ended.
Benayoun, who hasn’t played for West
Ham since November 11 due to knee trouble, made just six Premier League
appearances for the Hammers.
The 32-year-old midfielder played for West
Ham for two seasons between 2005 and 2007 and decided to move back to East
London last summer after not forseeing himself being in the plans of
then-Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo.
Di Matteo has since been replaced
by Rafa Benitez, who Benayoun knows well from their time together at Liverpool
for which the Israeli midfielder played between 2007 and 2010.
Benayoun
is expected to speak to his new boss in the next few days as he looks to resolve
his future.
Benayoun, who is under contract at Chelsea until the end of
this season, was restricted to 10 appearances for the Blues in 2010/11 due to an
Achilles injury and took part in 25 matches on loan at Arsenal last
season.
Since leaving Liverpool two-and-ahalf years ago, Benayoun has
only made a total of 33 league appearances for Chelsea, Arsenal and West
Ham.
The decline in his club career also resulted in Benayoun being
dropped from the Israel national team squad for professional reasons for the
first time in 14 years in October.
Israel coach Eli Gutman recalled him
for the friendly match against Belarus in November, but Benayoun missed out
through injury and remains four appearances shy of equaling Arik Benado’s
national team record of 94.