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The security guard of the London club that finished in 15th place in the Israeli national team and the English Premier League, Yossi Benayoun, has signed a new five-year contract with the "Hammers" team and will stay at Upton Park until 2012.
With Alan Curbishley taking over the team, the 27-year-old player lost his spot in the starting lineup and was linked to a move to another English team, but he decided to remain loyal to West Ham and extended his contract for another five years.
"I am extremely happy to have extended my contract," said the Jewish player to the West Ham club website. "Since I arrived at West Ham, I have felt at home here. We have the best fans in England."
"It was a simple thing for me to sign a new contract and I am happy because I want to stay in this club. I am confident that the next season will be more successful for us, as we have high-quality players in our team," added Y. Benayoun. "Besides, new players will join our team, which will undoubtedly strengthen the squad. I will repeat that I am very happy because this place is the best for me."
"The club owner is very ambitious, and I would like to thank him because the negotiations for the new contract happened very quickly. He and the club manager expressed their desire to continue to see me at West Ham," the player continued. "I hope to repay them by showing good gameplay on the field and will try to do everything possible to justify the team's ambitions."
Eggert Magnusson, who acquired West Ham this year, said: "We are very ambitious, and Yossi is a big part of our plans. I am extremely pleased that we have extended our contract with him and will see him at the club for another five years. We want to acquire new players, but we also have to make sure that we can keep young, talented players in the team."
Y. Benayoun joined West Ham in 2005 when he left his eleven-year stint in Spain's Santander. This season, the Israeli midfielder scored 3 goals in the Premier League.
