Manor Solomon scrolls through his phone, sifting through countless photos until he lands on the one that stands out. Despite the seemingly endless flow of images collected over the years, he knows precisely where to find it. With a simple tap on the screen, the cherished picture comes to life.
The picture captures two images, one above the other, taken over the span of 11 years but featuring the same duo. In the bottom photo, a six-year-old Solomon proudly stands alongside Yossi Benayoun, an iconic figure in Israel’s football scene and a former favorite at West Ham.
Recalling that moment, Solomon reminisces, “I was attending a summer football camp when he surprised us with a visit,” he says while lounging at a wooden table under the sun at West Ham’s Rush Green training ground. “I managed to get a picture with him. My father had the nerve to pull him aside for a photo with me.”
Reflecting on their shared experiences, he continues, “We trained side by side. We shared the same dressing room. It was surreal to be around him. He’s truly a hero in Israeli football, alongside Eyal Berkovic. They’ve been our finest in the sport.”
Solomon adds with admiration, “He was my idol, primarily because he’s Israeli. He triumphed in England, playing in the Premier League for giants like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and of course, West Ham. These are among the most prestigious clubs in England.”
Manor Solomon has signed for West Ham from Tottenham this summer
‘Back then I was really little and I was looking up to him. If he made his dream come true, coming from Dimona, a small city in Israel, playing in the Premier League for the biggest clubs, maybe one day I can be the same.
‘I really love this game. He was a winger, a number 10, similar to me. Different, but similar. I always looked up to him and said: if Yossi did it, maybe in the future I will be able to get closer to him. I never thought I would get because he was for me the best one.’
Benayoun had two spells with the Hammers, helping the club to the FA Cup final in 2006, before returning on loan from Chelsea in 2012.
They are friends now. Solomon phoned him up when he knew he was leaving Tottenham and interest in him from West Ham and others started to surface.
‘I had a few options,’ he says. ‘I asked him what he thought was the best option because I want to hear his opinion. Obviously, he’s played for West Ham. And he told me that he sees me in English football. For him, I’m really suitable and I really fit English football. And West Ham can be a really, really good place for me.’
Solomon’s arrival means he’s the first player to make the switch from Spurs to West Ham since Callum Davenport in 2007. When Mohammed Kudus made the move the other way last summer, he was the first to do so since Scott Parker in 2011.
The 27-year-old, though, revealed he was not aware of the rivalry between the two. ‘I didn’t know it,’ he laughs. ‘So, let’s say I came from Manchester United it would be different?’
Oh yes.
‘Coming from Spurs… because they hate each other?’
Oh yes.
‘Okay. Yeah, I didn’t know. I know everyone in London hates each other, especially the big clubs. Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham. They all hate each other but I didn’t know how big this is.’
Oh yes. So, any message to the West Ham fans so they take it easy on you?
‘It doesn’t matter where I came from. It doesn’t matter. I think if I came from Spurs, I came from Liverpool, I came from Fiorentina, for me it doesn’t matter. I’ll just try to give my best regardless of where I came from.’
Solomon says he was unaware of the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham
There is another rivalry he’s aware of, though.
‘I’ve heard about the rivalry between West Ham and Millwall,’ says Solomon. ‘I heard it’s really big. I think it’s one game before the national team break. So, there’s plenty of games until this one. I think a friend of mine told me about the rivalry because I didn’t know it before. And then also here at the club everyone told me it’s a big rivalry. Of course, West Ham is the big club between the two. But Millwall fans I know are really harsh and tough. So for sure against West Ham it will be even bigger.’
Solomon’s time at Spurs was blighted by injury, but he does know what it takes to help fire a club to promotion. He was on loan at Leeds when they won the Championship in 2024-25, scoring the stoppage-time winner at Plymouth that secured the title.
‘There is a big difference between the Championship and the Premier League,’ he adds. ‘West Ham is a big club that can be back in the Premier League and then remain there for a really long time.
‘Everyone knows that West Ham belongs in the top half of the Premier League. Three years ago they won a European title. I’m sure if the club goes in the right direction, this club will fight again for Europe in the Premier League.’