Lyon have pointed the finger at West Ham after Said Benrahma's proposed deadline day loan from the London Stadium to the French giants fell through.
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Benrahma loan deal collapsedWest Ham accused of 'profound lack of respect'Pablo Fornals' exit also in doubtWHAT HAPPENED?
The winger seemed set to join the Ligue 1 side after a loan with an obligation to buy was agreed between the two clubs. However, despite the player having travelled to Lyon to complete the switch on Thursday, the transfer collapsed at the 11th hour, with the French club accusing the Hammers of failing to complete the necessary admin on their side.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT LYON SAID
In a fiery statement, Lyon said: "Olympique Lyonnais were delighted to welcome Said Benrahma to Lyon this Thursday to finalise his transfer from West Ham. However, at the start of the evening, while Olympique Lyonnais had entered all the administrative data on the dedicated FIFA platform, West Ham had never launched the slightest technical procedure on its part, despite the repeated reminders from the OL and continuous mutual telephone communication.
"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 regrets this situation and this decision, demonstrating a profound lack of respect on the part of West Ham towards the Institution and the player. The club reserves the right to undertake all appropriate procedures necessary to validate the transaction at a later date, and to hold West Ham responsible if necessary."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Benrahma's proposed loan was not the only West Ham exit to go to the wire on deadline day, with confusion also surrounding Pablo Fornals' proposed £7 million ($9m) move to Real Betis.
The Spanish side's CEO Ramon Alarcon told 101 TV: "There is a last minute incident with Fornals that we believe is a computer incident that we have been working on to be able to fix it. Betis gave all the documents in a timely manner and West Ham seems to have had a problem in their computer tool, not only in the case of Betis but in others, and we hope that it will be resolved in the next few days, tomorrow or the day after. We are optimistic but cautious."
The midfielder has been registered on La Liga's website, so it perhaps only a matter of time before the transfer is confirmed.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WEST HAM?
Lyon have suggested they will appeal to FIFA to force their move for Benrahma over the line. Fornals' exit also seems set to be confirmed in due course, so this flurry of business could leave the West Ham squad a little thin, although Kalvin Phillips has arrived on loan from Man City.
