Footballers come and go. Especially Israeli ones, as far as the Premier League is concerned. Following the news that Premier League champions Manchester City released Gai Assulin, national captain Yossi Benayoun is once again the last man standing as the only Israeli in the division. But even his future remains unclear, with Chelsea demanding an answer from Arsenal over the coming days.
Even the staunchest Israeli football fan would admit that breaking into a star-studded City team for whom David Silva, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Gareth Barry played key roles was an unrealistic prospect.
The Championship, as Pini Zahavi says, is a viable option but it would not surprise me if Assulin joins a team in the Bundesliga. The majority of the latest Israel squad plies its trade in Europe, with success stories including Maor Melikson in Poland, and this can only benefit the national team in the long-term.
* The race is on to sign MJSL Player of the Year Bobby Abrams. There’s a strong possibility the striker could feature in both the Manchester League and JC MSFL next season, with Division One champions Oakwood favourites to sign him due to family connections.
Faithfold signed a real gem when they added Alex Kaye, the 2010/12 MJSL winner, from Oakhill Lions and with the club looking to bring in fresh talent this summer, I expect them to put in a bid.
* Jonathan Kurrant is in action for the England national futsal team this weekend.
The Maccabiah star will earn his third and fourth caps in the international friendlies against Denmark at the Mayesbrook Sports Arena in Barking.
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