Benayoun: ‘When I saw the team-sheet I thought it was a mix-up!’

Yossi Benayoun has admitted that he was ‘surprised’ at being chosen as Arsenalcaptain for the 1-0 Carling Cup defeat toManchester City on Tuesday.

The Israeli skipper, who signed on a season-long loan from Premier League rivals Chelsea in August, captained a fairly experienced side which included the likes of Lukasz Fabianski and Laurent Koscielny.

However, boss Arsene Wenger opted to hand Benayoun the captain’s armband instead – something which he certainly didn’t anticipate before the cup clash.

“The truth is I did not expect this, but it was a nice moment. When the line-up was revealed at the hotel (a few hours before the match), I saw the letter ‘C’ next to my name; I thought there was some mix up. But overall it was a nice experience”, Benayoun told Israeli radio station Non Stop 103.3FM.

“It was nice to be captain for the night, but what matters most was the result and eventually we lost the game.

“It was the first time I played as captain in England. It’s a great honour, even though I’ve only been at the club for a short period while there are players who have played here for a few years, I still got the armband. But for me it’s more important to work hard and get more opportunities in the Premier League”.

Benayoun, 31, has previously said he is ‘hopeful’ of making his loan move from Chelsea permanent at the end of the season, something which Wenger himself hasn’t ruled out just yet.

Despite finding it hard to break into the Arsenal midfield this season, Benayoun never doubted his choice in joining the north Londoners and admits it was the Gunners’ manager who persuaded him to sign on the dotted line.

“The negotiations with Arsenal were really quick and they showed real interest in me, so it was an easy choice. I also spoke to Arsene Wenger before signing at the club. He said he believed in my experience and ability to contribute to the squad and to play in several positions, so I was convinced quickly [to sign for Arsenal]“.

Chelsea give defender Sam Hutchinson new contract

Sam Hutchinson has signed a one-and-a-half year contract with Chelsea just 16 months after announcing his retirement.

The defender, 22, who came through the club’s academy, made four appearances for the Blues before a knee injury forced him to quit in August 2010.

However, Hutchinson, who was earmarked as one for the future by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho, realised the pain had gone while coaching at Chelsea.

“It’s great to be back and I am looking forward to the future,” he said.

“I take it week by week and it is a slow process. I am still not out of rehabilitation but I am playing 90-minute games and feeling fit.

“I have progressed from a month of three days training and then a day off to four days training and then a day off.

“It is important now to stick to the plan and listen to the doctors and progress from there.”

Academy manager Neil Bath added on Chelsea’s website: “Should he make progress, we anticipate there could be a further contract but he is still going through the early stages of rehab and is still not training with first-team-type loading in terms of intensity and demands.

“It’s fantastic news because we have a player who has been with us since he was seven, who we thought had retired.

“It is looking good that he will have a professional living in the game but we have to stay patient with the plan.”

Hutchinson, who can play at centre-back or right-back, made his Chelsea debut, aged 18, against Everton in May 2007.

He signed a new four-year contract at Stamford Bridge in August 2007 but a knee injury blighted his season, limiting him to only six league games for the reserves.

Hutchinson captained Chelsea reserves and made his first start, against QPR in the League Cup, in between a couple of Premier League appearances in the 2009-10 season before the knee injury returned and forced him to announce his retirement.

He made a shock return in the summer and played the first half of a 6-1 pre-season friendly defeat at Crawley.

Media round-up: Thursday, 1st December featuring Mancini, Sheik Mansour and Paul Pogba

Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City are becoming unpopular as a result of their success. “Every team that wins things doesn’t get sympathy,” said Mancini. “Do United get sympathy from other teams? No, because United win always. When Arsenal won leagues and cups was there sympathy? No. Because every team knows that when they win they do not get sympathy. I hope we don’t get sympathy for the next games either.”

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has launched a fresh attack on Manchester City, according to The Daily Mail, by suggesting that they might try underhand tactics to influence Villarreal ahead of their Champion’s League game with Napoli. De Laurentiis said: “I can feel strange things going on surrounding the Villarreal game – princes and sheiks are getting agitated. To think about it would be evil but sometimes you can guess what is happening.”

Sheik Mansour has praised manager Roberto Mancini for following the “right path” toward achieving the club’s main objective, winning the Premier League title. In rare public comments, the Sheik  told Dubai-based Sport360 daily newspaper that the club’s main goal for the season is still within reach, despite City’s slim chances of remaining in the Champions League.

Kolo Toure says comparisons with Arsenal’s “invincibles” side of 2003/04 are premature. “We need to take it game by game because sometimes when you win you just start to feel so comfortable and don’t fight as well as you should,” said the 30-year-old. “We don’t think about this record. We just want to play as well as we can every single game.”

Manchester United fear they may lose Paul Pogba, 18, to fierce rivals Manchester City as talks over a new deal have stalled, according to The Independent. Pogba’s current deal expires in the summer, allowing him to speak to suitors as early as January, and a number of clubs are believed to have registered an interest in the player, currently on the fringes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team squad. He has so far failed to agree terms on an extended deal.