Plymouth table contract offer to Ayman Benarous – sources
Plymouth are set to offer former Bristol City midfielder Ayman Benarous a deal at Home Park after he impressed on trial, sources have told Football Insider.
The former England Under-17 had been with the Robins since the age of seven, but departed the club this summer following the expiry of his contract.
Benarous made 11 appearances for Bristol in the 2021/22 season, but injuries have impacted the youngster’s development and he has not made a senior appearance for the club since.
Plymouth ready to take risk on injury-hit Ayman Benarous
Should Benarous accept the offer of a contract from Plymouth, he would become the Pilgrims’ eighth signing of the summer.
Speaking about the situation, via the Plymouth Herald, manager Tom Cleverley said: “We have made an offer to him. If you want to know what kind of player I like, what style of player I like, then he falls into that mould absolutely.
“He has been very impressive in his trial period. He has had fitness issues in the past that he looks like he’s over. In all the physical work we have done he has been really competitive and at the front of that.
“He’s a player that for sure there is a little bit of risk attached with his injury history but the quality he has shown in the last week far outweighs that risk in my opinion. We will be delighted if we can come to a deal on that one.”
Benarous has endured two ACL knee injuries and will be hoping to put the fitness issues that have plagued his career behind him.
Plymouth undergoing busy rebuild under new boss Tom Cleverley
Having taken over from outgoing boss Miron Muslic, Cleverley will be looking to guide Plymouth to an immediate return to the Championship after suffering relegation last season.
The ex-Man United midfielder took over as caretaker boss at Watford and impressed enough to be given the job on a permanent basis in March 2024, before being sacked to make way for Paulo Pezzolano.
And since taking charge at Home Park, seven players have joined whilst a further 13 have departed including Maksym Tavolerov who has made the move to Stoke.
With the formidable task of a season in League One beckoning, Cleverley may want even more reinforcements to help their bid to return to England’s second tier.