Israel captain Yossi Benayoun joined West Ham on loan on transfer deadline day.

Benayoun, 32, was released by Chelsea for a season-long loan, although he will need to wait until September 15 for his debut as he was ineligible for today's Premiership match against Fulham.

It is a second spell at Upton Park for the attacking midfielder who first joined the club in 2005 from Spanish side Racing Santander.

In an interview on the West Ham website, Benayoun said: "Thank you very much to everyone who has welcomed me back.

"I'm delighted to be here because I've been here before and this is a great club and I just cannot wait to start playing here again.

"I think the deal went through about one minute before the deadline! We had a long day because I had conversations with a lot of teams during the transfer window and a few of them made offers to me.

"West Ham actually came in during the last few hours of the transfer window and, when they did, we tried to seal the deal and I was delighted when we did it.

"We have got a lot of quality in the team and a great manager, so it should be easy for me to fit in."

He is expected to line up for Israel in the 2014 World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan on Friday.