Benayoun will give us the edge, says Cryuff

FOOTBALL Yossi Benayoun insists he is looking to rekindle former glories after signing a one-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The veteran midfielder enjoyed a successful career in England before returning to Israel to join Maccabi Haifa two years ago.

Benayoun, the former Israel captain, was plagued by injury and became unpopular with the fans who were disappointed with his performances but he left the club on a high after lifting the Israel FA Cup in May.

A f t e r s i g ni ng a deal worth £300,000, Benayoun said: “I am delighted ahead of the new challenge in my career and really hope that we will succeed together.”

He has joined the squad for a pre-season training camp in Austria and is believed to be the Yossi Benayoun first in a number of summer signings as the club attempts to regain the Ligat Ha’al title following Hapoel Beer Sheva’s success last month. Maccabi’s Sports Director Jordi Cruyff described Benayoun as a player with a “wealth of experience and great qualities who I’m sure will be a great addition to Maccabi Tel Aviv’s squad”. Maccabi have also agreed a two-year deal with Belarus international Egor Filipenko. The 28-year-old defender, who is Jewish, played for Malaga last season having spent the majority of his career with Belarus champions BATE Borosov. Filipenko’s grandmother has lived in Israel for many years, and Maccabi will apply for Israeli citizenship for the player. Maccabi captain Eran Zahavi, 30, could be on the move after the club reportedly accepted an offer of more than £5 million from Chinese team Guangzhou.