West Ham United transfer news: Said Benrahma drags feet on January exit as sale agreed – Jacob Steinberg
Said Benrahma’s West Ham departure to Lyon is not yet done but “should still happen” according to Jacob Steinberg.
The Guardian journalist reported via Twitter early on 31 January that suggestions the move was already complete have been denied, as the Algerian was “still dragging his feet” the night before.
A bid from the Ligue 1 side worth £15million plus add-ons arrived on 30 January while the Hammers were at work attempting to sign an attacking replacement in Jota.
Steinberg wrote: “Reports of Benrahma’s move to Lyon being done were denied last night. Benrahma was still dragging his feet and some issues around agent fees. Deal is agreed between the clubs. Should still happen…”.
Clear the way
Given the difficulty that West Ham have had in recent windows in moving on players whose London Stadium prospects aren’t great it would be frustrating if Benrahma’s exit did get over the line before the deadline only for it to prove impossible to land a replacement.
Whether it be now or in the summer the Irons will need to shift peripheral figures if the Tim Steidten transfer revolution continues.
Agent fee issues appear to have become the order of the day for the club in this window, with the pursuit of FC Nordsjaelland’s Ibrahim Osman apparently collapsing for a similar reason.
In keeping with most of the Premier League this is proven to be a strain of a January window, so the fact that West Ham did manage to overcome substantial competition to secure a loan for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips is a positive.
But what looked like a clear need for attacking recruits, and in particular a striker, this month is at risk of going unanswered.
They do need to find moves for the likes of Benrahma and Pablo Fornals to make space for new recruits sooner or later, but equally David Moyes faces being left short for the rest of the season if replacement deals don’t come in this month.
It is a tricky balancing act at the best of times and West Ham transfer dealings rarely seem to be simple, so the next 36 hours could have a major impact on the remainder of the campaign.
In other West Ham news, Dharmesh Sheth has been admonished by another journalist over a controversial Irons deal.
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