• 'I got my chance, then didn't get another for a long time'
• Loaned midfielder due to return to Chelsea in summer
Yossi Benayoun has expressed his frustration about his fringe role at Arsenal and refused to say whether he wants to stay beyond the end of his season-long loan. The Israel midfielder is set to return to Chelsea in the summer after a campaign in which he has started 11 times in all competitions for Arsenal, six of them in the Premier League.
"I think it is difficult to speak now about the future," Benayoun said. "It's better to concentrate on the last five weeks of the season and do my best. I am fully committed to Arsenal and after, we will see. After 30 June, I am going back to Chelsea and then the club decides and I need to decide, also. Each one has to think about what is best for them.
"It has been up and down this season for me. I try to be focused and concentrated but it's not easy. I was waiting all the time for my chance. A few times, I got my chance and then I didn't get another for a long time. But in big clubs, you have to be patient. Of course, it's hard to find rhythm. For every player, it's not easy. You want to play a run of games but, like I said, it is a big club.
"I have a good relationship with the [Chelsea] owner," Benayoun said, "and when I decided to take this step, he gave me permission to do what I wanted.
"I was negotiating with three teams but as soon as I heard Arsenal were in, I knew it was a big chance for me. I knew that with [André] Villas-Boas, I would not get enough credit [at Chelsea]. I have not played as much as I want but it is great to be at a club like Arsenal."