News and Rumors

• Villareal is interested in Beitar Jerusalem keeper, Ariel Harush. Beitar wants 1.25 million Euros for him, Harush was Israel’s recent starter against Germany in a friendly and had a good game.
• Maccabi Haifa has bought right back Oded Elkayam from Hapoel Haifa for a fee of 350,000 Shekels, Elkayam played on loan at Bnei Sakhnin.
• Avi Yehiel is a candidate to replace Din Mori  at Bnei Yehuda, Mori is at the end of his contract and is looking at different offers from European teams.

News and Rumors

• Maccabi Tel Aviv has signed Spanish Defender Carlos Garcia on a free transfer from Spanish Second Division club Almeria.
• Eran Zahavi may be moving to Chievo, as his club Palermo are interested in American midfielder Michael Bradley and would send Zahavi in the opposite direction. Zahavi had a poor season with only two goals and three assists in twenty games.
• Romanian club Astra Ploiesti is interested in Maccabi Haifa’s Ghanaian midfielder Ya Ya Seidu.
• Maccabi Haifa is still in talks with Argentinian club Godoy Cruz over defensive midfielder Nicolas Olmedo.

News and Rumors

• Striker Dudu Biton has signed a four year contract with Belgian Giants Standard Liege. Biton scored 16 goals in all competitions last year, and will join two Israeli’s already at Standard; attacking midfielder Maor Buzaglo and defender Rami Gershon. Liege purchased Biton’s contract from Charleroi for 800,000 Euros.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv has finally signed Spanish attacking midfielder Gonzalo Garcia from AEK Larnaca.  Garcia scored 17 goals in all competitions last season for Larnaca. They are also close to signing Spanish defender Carlos Garcia from Almeria on a free transfer.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv have released Montenegrin defender Savo Pavićević, he will join Cypriot club AC Omonia.
• Midfielder Oz Raly has joined Cypriot club AC Omonia on a free transfer from Bnei Yehuda, while goalkeeper Ohad Levita has joined Omonia from Hapoel Be’er Sheva on a free transfer.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv is looking offload Haris Medunjanin, Medunjanin has very high wages and had disciplinary trouble last season, however if Maccabi can’t recieve their asking price, he may stay for the season.

News and Rumors

• Nir Biton is being linked with a move to Standard Liege
• According to the Israeli website ONE, Yossi Benayoun is wanted by four London clubs, QPR, Tottenham, West Ham, and Arsenal.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Roberto Colautti is likely to join Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta, and  will be reunited with former coach Roni Levy. Maccabi will stay pay half of his salary.
• Maccabi Haifa has made another offer for Chen Ezra in the region of one million Euros.

News and Rumors

• Yossi Benayoun is being linked with a move back to his old club West Ham and his old youth club Ajax. Ajax will be playing in the Champions league next season, but West Ham may be a more attractive move for the Israeli due to the higher wages he may get in England.
• Apparently Chen Ezra will continue with Maccabi Netanya.  Ezra is an attacking midfielder that plays for Maccabi Netanya and scored 12 goals last season. He was wanted by Maccabi Haifa, but Netanya’s transfer fee was too high for Haifa.
• Hapoel Haifa have signed Serbian defender Dušan Brković from Smederevo FK. They are also trying to sign Assi Baldut from Rishon LeZion .  They are also trying to sign Victor Maree from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

News and Rumors

• Shimon Sheves has withdrawn from negotiations for the purchase of Hapoel Tel Aviv from Eli Tabib.
• Hapoel Haifa have signed Swiss defender Fabian Stoller from relegated club Hapoel Petah Tikva.
• Israel’s National Team is now ranked 81st in the world after another two losses to the Czech Republic and Germany, not exactly the improvement Chairman Avi Luzon was looking for.

News and Rumors

• Maccabi Haifa reportedly want Itay Shechter, but the player’s agent has stated that he won’t be returning to Israel as he has offers from clubs in Spain, England, and Germany, with most of the offers coming from Spain.
• Hassan Abu Zaid and his agent have met with MS Ashdod’s owner Jackie Ben Zaken. Abu Zaid was wanted by Racing Genk.  Also Bolivian midfielder Alejandro Chumacero will arrive at Ashdod for trials, Chumacero is currently playing for the Bolivian National Team.
• Hapoel Be’er Sheva have signed Nigerian goalkeeper Austin Ejide from relegated Hapoel Petah Tikva to a three year deal. Be’er Sheva have also agreed with striker Tomer Suissa from Kiryat Shmona, but there is a dispute with Kiryat Shmona over the size of his transfer fee. The club also want’s midfielder Maharan Radi, and the attacking midfielder of Hajduk Split, Mirko Oremus.
• Ben Sahar and Dekel Keinan are likely to be released by both of their teams in the following days.  Ben Sahar is not the plans of his club Espanyol. While Keinan has languished during his stay in England and may come back to Israel to resurrect his career. Sahar will likely stay abroad. He experienced his greatest success when he was at the Dutch club De Graafschap and move back to the Netherlands could be in the cards.
• Eli Tabib has reportedly agreed to sell Hapoel Tel Aviv to a group of investors led by Shimon Sheves. Tabib will receive two payments of NIS 12 million each for the club.
• Chen Ezra has refused an upgraded contract at Maccabi Netanya, thus forcing Netanya to negotiate with Maccabi Haifa on a fee for the player. Netanya demanded 1.5 million Euros for the player, but Haifa refused to pay that price.
• Miloš Krstić is wanted by Maccabi Tel Aviv. Krstić is a  Serbian defensive midfielder that plays for FK Jagodina in the Serbian league. He previously played for clubs like Olympique de Marseille and OFK Beograd and is 25 years old.
• Maccabi Haifa have offered their veteran goalkeeper Nir Davidovich a one year deal worth 150,000 dollars.  Davidovich wants a two year deal worth 200,000 dollars.

News And Rumors

• Nir Davidovich and Maccabi Haifa are at odds after Haifa offered him a one year contract, and he wants a two year contract.  Davidovich has been with the club for his whole career, but has been plagued by injuries for most of that time.  During most of his career he was the number two keeper for Israel, behind his rival Dudu Aouate.
• Shimon Sheves, the former head of Yitzhak Rabin’s office when he was prime minister is on the verge of purchasing Hapoel Tel Aviv from Eli Tabib. Sheves represents a group of foreign businessmen, however Eli Tabib is demanding to keep any amount of money earned from the sale of Omer Damari and Nosa Igiebor.
• Hapoel Tel Aviv wants attacking midfielder David Revivo from MS Ashdod and right back Ali Ottman from Maccabi Haifa. Ottman has been deemed surplus requirements at Haifa.

News and Rumors

• Maccabi Haifa have signed left-back Shmuel Scheimann from  the Dutch club SBV Excelsior. Scheimann made his national team debut recently against the Czech Republic. Scheimann will sign a two year deal with an option for two more years. This may indicate that Taleb Tawatha will be leaving the club in the summer.
• Maccabi Tel Aviv are showing interest in Kaiserslautern midfielder Gil Vermouth. Vermouth had an outstanding game against Germany recently and is searching for a club in the Netherlands or Spain.
• Maccabi Haifa are interested in two Argentinian players, Nicolas Olmedo, a defensive midfielder for Godoy Cruz, and Martin Rolle, an attacking midfielder for Club Olimpo.

Israel Loses 2-0 To Germany

Israel Lost 2-0  to Germany, however I feel they can hold their heads high. It’s not a bad result and they didn’t make too many mistakes. The first goal was a bit of a mistake after Tal Ben Haim had an opportunity to clear the ball , but wasn’t able to do so. Mario Gomez pounced and scored a good goal. The second goal was no fault of Israel’s as Andre Schurrle got a good strike from 25 yards out, that was unstoppable. I though Israel showed good discipline and organization. However they automatically conceded possession to the Germans from the opening whistle to the end of the 90 minutes. I think Eli Guttman can look forward to a good qualifying campaign.