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English Premiership champions sign young Israeli sensation

Updated: 05/Jun/2006 16:12

Ben Sahar

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LONDON (EJP) --- Chelsea football club have clinched the signing of a 16 year-old Israeli striker, said to be one of Israel’s brightest talents.

Ben Sahar signed for a reported 320,000 pounds (465,500 euros) from Hapoel Tel Aviv last week. The English Premiership champions beat off fierce competition for the young Israeli’s signature from Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Sahar, who has previously had a trial period at the west London club, first caught the eye of the Chelsea scouts playing for Israel at an under-16 game against Ireland in 2004.

He is part of the youth recruitment drive at Chelsea led by director of football, Frank Arnesen and will start at Chelsea’s youth academy.

Excitement

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	Israelis football players grace Europe

Reacting to the news of his big break, Sahar told Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, “I feel I can succeed at Chelsea, there will be tough moments but I have a strong character and I don’t intend to give up. At the end of the day, I will come out stronger and the move to Chelsea will help take my career forward. I have reached a point in my career that I have dreamed about and I don’t intend to take a step back.”

“I’m already thinking about the moment when manager Jose Mourinho comes to watch the youth team in training and he calls me over and tells me he is calling me up to the senior team because he liked what he saw,” he added.

Suitable for Europe

Eyal Hayit, Sahar’s former mentor and youth team coach at Hapoel Tel Aviv, has given football fans a hint of what to expect should the young star succeed at Chelsea, hailing his goal scoring potential and technical ability.

“He is suitable for Europe because he knows how to achieve the goals he sets himself and he is an exceptionally talented player. He is fast and has fantastic physical ability; he scores 30-40 goals a season and his ball skills are something you don't see here every day.”