Yossi Benayoun signs

[anfieldanfield]

Errrrr - this deal is yet to be finalised.

We've agreed the fee though, which was the tricky part.

Cant imagine Benayoun's wages will be much of an issue.

[rushscored4]

We've agreed the fee though, which was the tricky part.

Cant imagine Benayoun's wages will be much of an issue.

And he's desperate to join us and play "at a higher level"...

[Icon]

We've agreed the fee though, which was the tricky part.

Cant imagine Benayoun's wages will be much of an issue.

I'm sure he's from a VERY well off family - they don't NEED the money.

[RedProf]

I repeatedly said the same to Duncan Manterfield, but he never paid any attention.

Probably too busy thinking up his next lie..............

[Red_Polo]

Nowhere have I implied that he is "****e".

Well in fairness you did say he was an Everton-type signing, which is far far worse

[AFII]

A childhood dream fulfilled
By Uzi Dann

After days of stubborn negotiations, Yossi Benayoun's transfer from West Ham United to fellow English Premier League club Liverpool was finalized yesterday.

Ronen Katsav, the player's agent, was busy closing the final transfer agreement, and after Liverpool raised its offer to 5 million pounds -- and West Ham came down from a 6-million-pound price -- it became clear that an agreement was only a matter of time.

At the end of the day, it appears that West Ham preferred to accept a lower transfer fee and allow Benayoun -- who had asked the club's management to be released -- to move to a club where he wanted to play.

The national team captain is expected to undergo medical tests at Anfield this morning and, under the assumption that there won't be any problems, afterward he will sign with the Champions League runners-up.

"Yossi has fulfilled his childhood dream," said a source close to Benayoun yesterday. Benayoun himself refused to comment until the contract was signed.

Before the two Premiership clubs came to their agreement, Benayoun came to an understanding with Liverpool about his personal terms -- that apparently, in contrast to what had been thought, his salary will not be less than what West Ham offered him, a contract that in the end was never signed.

Benayoun's agent had previously noted that if Benayoun could play for a bigger club, he might accept a relatively lower salary, but ultimately the conditions are similar -- 50,000 pounds per week.

Benayoun will become the third Israeli to play for the Reds after Avi Cohen and Ronny Rosenthal, who played at Liverpool and won titles there. The Anfield club, which has won the English Premier League more times than any other club, is undergoing a face-lift this summer and has already spent big sums on Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, Russia and Bayer Leverkeusen striker Andrei Voronin and Brazil under-20 midfielder Lucas.

Liverpool is also in advanced negotiations to acquire Ryan Babel, the Ajax and Netherlands under-21 midfielder. The Anfield club has already increased its offer to 10 million pounds, and even though Ajax is demanding 13 million, it appears that they will breach the gap. Babel can play the same positions as Benayoun, but even if the Dutchman is brought in, it must be remembered that Luis Garcia, who was Liverpool's attacking midfielder, was sold to Atletico Madrid, and that Harry Kewell's position is not entirely clear and could also be sold.

"Ever since I have been in the first team, there hasn't been a rash of acquisitions such as this and it is a statement," said Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard yesterday. "The last few years only clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea bought players for 20 million pounds and higher, and now we are also doing it."

Gerrard also warned against another poor start to the season. "Two times we finished the [Premier League] season in third place, but far from the top," he said. "They have said it before: It is impossible to win the championship in the first 10 matches, but it is possible to lose it, and that is what happened to us the last two seasons. We can't allow teams like Manchester United and Chelsea to run away [from the rest of the league]."

Did Yossi hear that?

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/880519.html

[Alpha]

Did anybody else notice:

-----------Bought--Sold--Difference
Bellamy:----£6m---£7.5m---£1.5m
Benayoun:-£2.5m---£4m----£1.5m

Coincidence?

It is basically a straight swap.

[Charlie_B]

Did anyone else notice "Russia striker Voronin" wtf?

[Morph]

Did anybody else notice:

-----------Bought--Sold--Difference
Bellamy:----£6m---£7.5m---£1.5m
Benayoun:-£2.5m---£4m----£1.5m

Coincidence?

It is basically a straight swap.

either it's really late and i'm being stupid or that makes no sense what so ever, which is it

[paulcooper4]

Good player.

Four million isn't a bad price at all.

We can challenge for the title with this squad....

Torres
Crouch
Kuyt
Voronin

Benayoun
Gerrard
Pennant
Kewell
Babel

Sissoko
Mascherano
Alonso

Riise
Aurelio

Finnan
Arbeloa

Agger
Carra
Hyypia
?????

Reina
Carson

[Morph]

"Yossi has fulfilled his childhood dream," said a source close to Benayoun yesterday.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/880519.html

Let me guess he was a liverpool fan as a kid

[Darth Marty]

bit late to this thread but £4mill for yossi is a very good deal.
Get babel and quaresma now and Id have to say this summers signings have exceeded my expectations.

[Mattshark]

Benyoun's a decent buy at £4m, its hard to argue with it really. He's a tricky player with good premier league experience who wanted to come & play for us.

The only issue is that we are still short of a real class performer on either wing. Yossi is decent but no more than that, he's at a similar level to Pennant. Good squad players but against top notch opposition away from home can they be a match winner a la Ronaldo or Robben. The truth is probably not. If either Pennant or Yossi was backup to a top notch player then great but hand on heart they have it all to prove to show they are a player worthy of a starting place in a championship challenging side.

since when has Ronaldo played well against top notch opposition?

[Gazzla]

Did anybody else notice:

-----------Bought--Sold--Difference
Bellamy:----£6m---£7.5m---£1.5m
Benayoun:-£2.5m---£4m----£1.5m

Coincidence?

It is basically a straight swap.

[Fiddy]

Did anybody else notice:

-----------Bought--Sold--Difference
Bellamy:----£6m---£7.5m---£1.5m
Benayoun:-£2.5m---£4m----£1.5m

Coincidence?

It is basically a straight swap.

Alpha this is possibly your worst post ever mate

So us and West Ham just made identical £1.5m profits on the players, how is that a straight swap