Rude awakening on deadline day! Said Benrahma’s move from West Ham United to Olympique Lyon failed in the last few meters – and now there is thick air between the Premier League club and the traditional Ligue 1 club.
What it’s about: The French accuse the Londoners of not submitting the documents necessary for the transfer of the 28-year-old to the world football association FIFA in a timely manner – and are now also reserving the right to take legal action in order to be able to “hold West Ham accountable” if necessary.
They “deeply regret the failure of Said Benrahma’s transfer” and question “West Ham’s behavior”.
“Olympique Lyonnais was delighted to welcome Said Benrahma to Lyon this Thursday to complete his transfer from West Ham. “The two clubs had signed a temporary transfer agreement and Olympique Lyonnais had received approval from the DNCG (French Financial Authority, editor’s note) to make the transfer possible,” Lyon said in a statement.
It initially remained unclear why the Hammers could not send the documents in time.
Explosive: Benrahma was already in Lyon on Thursday to finalize the deal. But the attacker had to return to the island without having achieved anything.