Greedy Yossi on his toes
Filed: Tuesday, 10th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
West Ham United are reported to have accepted a £5m bid from Liverpool for Yossi Benayoun.
The Israeli midfielder - who reneged on signing a new five-year deal with the Hammers last month despite having given his word that he would put pen to paper - is set to sign for Liverpool later this week, should he agree terms and successfully pass a medical (which, given the pitiful number of appearances he made for the Hammers last season, should perhaps not be the formality it usually is).
Yossi's agent, Ronan Katsev, is quoted tonight as saying:
"West Ham will always be in his heart but he is looking to move up a level.
"Everybody would be happy to play for Liverpool. [The deal] should be completed in the next 48 hours."
Benayoun - who signed for the Hammers in the summer of 2005 in a £2.5m switch from Spanish outfit Racing Santander - enjoyed an excellent first season for the club, which he capped with a man of the match performance in the 2006 FA Cup Final against the team he is about to join.
However his form last season - his second and seemingly last in East London - was little short of dreadful on the whole, and he was criticised on several occasions for failing to appear for United when an international fixture loomed. All in all he spent nearly a third of the season on the Chadwell Heath treatment table.
Yet despite Benayoun's problems last season it cannot be denied that the club are set to lose possibly the only creative attacking midfielder in the current squad; a situation that will need to be addressed before the new season kicks off in just under a month.
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And that's a wrap [1st Feb 2013] Allardyce on... Manchester United [6th Jan 2013] Joe Cole on West Ham return [4th Jan 2013] Allardyce on... Norwich City [2nd Jan 2013] Benayoun leaves West Ham [27th Dec 2012] Benayoun back at Chelsea [14th Dec 2012] Allardyce on... Liverpool [9th Dec 2012] Yossi's disappointment [26th Nov 2012] Newcastle Utd 0 West Ham Utd 1 [11th Nov 2012] Allardyce on... Manchester City [4th Nov 2012]Your Comments
by Claret&Blue
01:32PM 12th Jul 2007
''Yossi only the other month said how WHU fans are the best in the country! I wonder what he'll say about liverpool's fans ... they're second best? I think not!''
by George Martin
06:42AM 12th Jul 2007
''The headline we've all been waiting for - he wasn't bothered about West Ham all last season, he couldn't even be bothered to play and the last few games he pulled his finger out because he knew he couldn't sign for a big club unless he was playing in the Premiership. Doesn't suprise me ...''
by O'Greel
01:30AM 12th Jul 2007
''For those who may be unaware, the 'greedy' reference is a nod to a previous KUMB news story - see kumb.com/story.php?id=11791.
Yogi: don't believe everything you read in the papers. And yes, Yossi was West Ham's man of the match that day.''
by George martin
06:32AM 11th Jul 2007
''Surprise surprise, you could see this coming a mile off. He didn't want to stay in the first place, he coudn't even be bothered to play!''
by Phil Kirwin
10:51PM 10th Jul 2007
''I fail to see why signing for Liverpool makes him greedy when in all honesty he'll probably earn less, much as Torres is.''
by Yogi
09:58PM 10th Jul 2007
''The title of your article is a little harsh. The days of one player signing for a club and staying for a career are all but gone now, who was the last to do that at West Ham? All your top players of the past 20 odd years have moved on Cottee, Dicks, Lampard (I hate him too), Cole, Carrick, Defoe, Ferdinand even Di Canio upped and left. Football has changed and it is for the worse, however Yossi, who wasn't MOTM in 2006 Cup Final a certain S.Gerrard nicked that, has left with some dignity. Look at how Tevez has behaved since the end of the season, it was embarrassing - please Inter, please Real. please Chelsea, please Manchester United. Or Paul Ince (I really hate him) wearing a Man U top while still a West Ham player is the ultimate. Personally I think at £4-5 million you have a good deal. Finally wasn't Lucas Neill a greedy bastard for going to West Ham for 2-3 times the money he'd have got at Liverpool? In the most footballers are. ''
by Frank
09:48PM 10th Jul 2007
''Interesting you say he is greedy? I would have thought WHFC would have offered him a better salary than LFC considering the massive money offered to Bent, Neill and probably Bellamy. Greedy for titles and trophies perhaps but not money ...''
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