Lyon have accused West Ham of a “lack of respect” after Said Benrahma’s transfer to the Ligue 1 side collapsed at the last minute.
Benrahma was set to join Les Gones on a loan deal with an obligation to buy in the summer, and even underwent a medical in France.
However, Lyon claim the Hammers did not complete the necessary admin to get the move over the line before last night’s 11pm deadline.
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In a scathing statement, Lyon said: “Olympique Lyonnais was delighted to welcome Saïd Benrahma to Lyon this Thursday to finalize his transfer from West Ham.
“The two clubs had signed a temporary transfer agreement, and Olympique Lyonnais had obtained the approval of the DNCG to allow the transfer to take place in a fluid and transparent manner.
“However, in the early evening, when Olympique Lyonnais had entered all the administrative data on FIFA’s dedicated platform (FIFA TMS), West Ham had never launched any technical procedure on its part, despite OL’s repeated reminders and continuous mutual telephone communication.
“In the absence of this reciprocal action on the part of the English club and following this incomprehensible behaviour, the international transfer certificate could not be requested before closing time.
ℹ️ Les raisons de l’échec du transfert de Saïd Benrahma.
Toutes les informations ⤵️
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) February 2, 2024
“Olympique Lyonnais deeply regrets this situation and this decision, demonstrating a deep lack of respect on the part of West Ham for the club and the player.
“The club reserves the right to initiate all appropriate procedures necessary to validate the operation later, and to hold West Ham accountable if necessary.”
The breakdown leaves the Algerian winger, who joined West Ham from Brentford in October 2020 and whose current deal runs to 2026, in limbo.
There is also confusion surrounding Pablo Fornals’ proposed move from West Ham to Real Betis. The clubs are believed to have agreed a fee of around £6million yesterday but the deal was never confirmed.
Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon said late last night that he thought the issue was due to a “computer issue” at the Premier League club.
