Via the official Web site of RCD Espanyol (note: this report has been doctored a bit) ...
"Ben Sahar (10/08/1989 Jolón, Israel) has become a new Espanyol player for the next four seasons, after the an agreement between Chelsea and RCD Espanyol. Although (there was an) offer from Ajax, the youngster has shown strong will to land in the Spanish La Liga instead of returning to the Dutch Championship, where he has played for the last months for De Graafschap.
The Israeli forward, known as 'The Kid,' soon awakened interest from international scouts after his appereances with Israel youth national teams. Indeed, he was only 16 years old when Chelsea recruited him from Happoel Tel-Aviv."
Remember when "The Kid" was the next thang thang? He never quite lived up to the billing at Chelsea did he?
Though obviously having the talent, Sahar rarely displayed proficiency with the first team -- resulting in just five first-team appearances in three seasons with the club. Loan spells at QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and, his latest stop, De Graafschap did little to enhance his appearance, either.
Sahar joins Espanyol for £1 million. Am I the only one that thinks that's a joke fee for a 19-year-old with international experience (Sahar already has 15 caps for Israel)? But, then again, this is Chelsea so I guess that fee is just about right.
Rumors suggest there is a 25 percent sell-on clause in the contract -- hopefully. Where is the buy-back clause, though?
Anyway. The Chelsea Offside wishes young Ben the best in Spain. Perhaps he'll finally live up to the hype -- then we can buy him back for an absurdly bloated fee.