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Pundit blames West Ham United owners if Said Benrahma sold in January, would rather sell Manuel Lanzini
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie believes the owners will be to blame if Said Benrahma leaves West Ham in January after speculation linking the Algerian with a move away.
Benrahma has been in good form this season for the Hammers but has struggled to hold down a regular starting place, leading to speculation he could leave the club in January for more regular minutes.
But according to pundit McAvennie, Moyes wouldn’t want to see him leave and if he does it’s because the owners are trying to make more money before potentially selling the club next year.
“Who are they going to replace him with? He’s a good player,” he told West Ham Zone.
“They’ve not got a playmaker like him. I don’t know who they would get in. He’s a creative player. You’ve got Soucek and Rice in the middle, with Benrahma in front of them. I don’t know who would do that job.
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“Why would you sell somebody then spend a lot of money to bring someone in the same? It’s a strange one. It’s the owners that’ve got to be the problem.
“Not the problem but if they’re going to sell next year, they’re going to want to sell players. They’ll want to sell Declan Rice as well obviously before they leave so they can get that money. It’s a strange one.
“Benrahma, I like him. He’s a good player. I don’t know why they’d want to sell him. He’s doing alright. He’s not unhappy or anything is he? I think the boy is pretty happy there, hopefully. Hopefully he’s happy because he’s a good player.
“Lanzini’s not played because of Benrahma, same place. Lanzini is the same kind of player, so if they sold Benrahma he’d come back in.
“He’s going to have the hump because he’s not been getting a game. I would be more liable to sell Lanzini than Benrahma. If one of them had to go I’d sell Lanzini.
“But again, two of them are good players. I’ve not seen them enough to say, but what I do know is that Benrahma is getting ahead of Lanzini so he must be doing better in training and all of that.
“I’d be more liable to sell Lanzini than Benrahma. Because I don’t know where he’s going to go. He’s not going to go to one of the big clubs. So why would you want to leave?
“He’s not going to go to Man City. Maybe he’d fit Newcastle for more money, but they’re not a better club than West Ham. He’s not getting a game at Liverpool.
“I don’t know if he’ll go to a big club abroad, so I don’t know where they’re going to sell him to.”