West Ham slammed for 'lack of respect' in failed Deadline Day transfer

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 2 Feb 2024 08:30 GMT
• 3 min read

West Ham United have been accused of showing a “lack of respect” after Said Benrahma’s proposed move to Lyon collapsed in the final hours of Deadline Day.

Benrahma, 28, had been expected to join the Ligue 1 club on a six-month loan deal, with the view to making the move permanent this summer.

However, the deal was not completed before Thursday’s 11pm deadline and the Algerian will remain at the London Stadium until the end of the 2023-24 season. Benrahma had even completed a medical with the Ligue 1 club before the deal broke down.

Lyon launch public statement against West Ham

The failure to sign Benrahma on loan led to Lyon releasing a public statement condemning West Ham’s actions.

The statement read: “On February 2, Olympique Lyonnais strongly regret the failure of the transfer of Saïd Benrahma, for reasons beyond our control, and question the behaviour of West Ham, who failed to finalise the required administrative procedures despite all the agreements concluded.

“Olympique Lyonnais were delighted to welcome Saïd Benrahma to Lyon this Thursday to finalise 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 their part, despite OL's repeated reminders and continuous mutual telephone communication,” Lyon continued.

“In the absence of this reciprocal action on the part of the English club and following this incomprehensible behaviour, raising questions, the international transfer certificate could not be requested before closing time.

“Olympique Lyonnais deeply regret this situation and this decision, demonstrating a deep lack of respect on the part of West Ham for the Institution 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 statement concluded.

Despite the collapse of Benraham’s move, Lyon still managed to sign Malick Fofana, Gift Orban, Adryelson, Lucas Perri, Nemanja Matic and Orel Mangala during an impressive January transfer window.