Israel captain Yossi Benayoun has told Arsenal fans that he has left the club after his loan spell came to an end today.
The Chelsea midfielder spent the whole of the last campaign on loan at their London rivals and impressed the fans and Arsene Wenger towards the end of his reign at the Emirates Stadium.
The 32-year-old tweeted saying: “My loan spell with arsenal will be officially over tomorrow..I want to say again a big thanks to the fans and the club.
“For the opportunity and the great support and I wish this club all the very best!”
Benayoun leaves the club with a positive reputation after working his socks off in his 25 appearances that led to his six goals and a sensational display against Tottenham Hotspur.
Reports suggest that the Blues would be willing to let Benayoun go for as little as £1m yet Wenger is supposedly looking for better alternatives in the transfer window as he looks to freshen up his squad.
Many have called for the Gunners chief to offer the Israeli a two-year deal, yet Benayoun is reportedly keen on receiving more playing time than what he was getting at the Emirates.
While Wenger is looking elsewhere, Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and Ajax have all supposedly kept tabs on the player.
It’s a shame as I thought he was excellent at West Ham United but was unsure about how he would cope when he moved on to a bigger club.
Yet when he arrived at Liverpool he proved to be one of their most important players. The season before he left Anfield was, without question, the best of his career and he was absolutely sensational for the Reds.
He then moved on to Chelsea for a fee of around about £7m which, for a player of his age, was a fair bit of money but in my opinion a good bit of business.
However, tragedy would strike for the Israel captain as a serious injury kept him out for the whole of his first year at Stamford Bridge.
He got back to fitness last summer and was shipped out on loan to Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
It started slow for Benayoun and he didn’t get too much of a looking for the first half of the campaign but was a key player when it came to the business end of the season.
Benayoun was the captain of his country and offered the team some leadership and experience and was one of the stars in Arsenal’s 5-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
He scored some vital goals as well.
He got a late winner at Villa Park and the key first goal on the final day of the season at West Bromwich Albion.
However it looks as if that will be the last time we see Benayoun in an Arsenal shirt, although you football is a funny old game, and you never know what is going to happen.
Matt Cotton
@FindingCotton
We need to sign IKER MUNIAN from Bilbao
arsen should have sign this guy. he help us alot. he hies agood player. anyway i whish u good lock where ever u go big boy
Shame. What a good player, very underrated. Surely he's worth keeping around?
Thing is if we signed him everyone would be saying he is deadwood by the end of next season and want better. better to just say thanks now and get someone younger and better.
Wenger doesn't resign players over 30 very often and when he does, it is proven AFC regulars on a 1 year contract. Benayoun did his best but he's 32 and can't ensure he'll stay fit or perform like he did last run-in.
Benayoun is a great player and very hard working, if everyone else worked that hard on the pitch Arsenal would be unbeatable.
We badly needed the experience and determination of benayoun…. Why is this not obvious to management at arsenal???
Thank u banayoun
He's the reason we finished 3rd.
He's the reason we finished above Spurs.
Imagine last season without him in the team.
We should have kept him.