Speaking on a recent episode of the HLTCO podcast, Dan Cook discussed West Ham United’s agreement with Brentford for Crystal Palace target, Said Benrahma.
Since arriving at Brentford from OGC Nice in what was a £1.53 million deal back in 2018, Benrahma has gone on to feature 94 times for the west London club, scoring 30 goals and providing 27 assists along the way.
Last season, the £9.45 million-rated 25-year-old highly impressed for the Bees, scoring 17 goals and providing nine assists over his 46 Championship appearances, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.49/10 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the league.
These appearances seem to have led to a great deal of interest in the Algeria international over the summer transfer window, with Leeds United, West Ham and Crystal Palace all said to be keen on the winger.
It would also appear that West Ham may have won the race to land the 25-year-old, as it has been reported that the club have agreed a fee with the Bees for the player, which could rise to around £30 million, although, personal terms are yet to be agreed between the Hammers and Benrahma.
This potential move was one topic of conversation on a recent episode of the HLTCO podcast, with Cook discussing whether or not he feels Palace could still land the winger.
He said: “[Benrahma] is, of course, someone that Crystal Palace had been heavily linked to throughout this window and, indeed, Roy Hodgson has been questioned about the winger’s potential move to Selhurst Park on at least two or three occasions in press conferences.
“According to David Ornstein and The Athletic, West Ham have made an agreement between themselves and Brentford of £30 million including add-ons for the Algerian winger. I believe personal terms are still to be sorted and a medical is scheduled in for Wednesday.
“I look at the deal that West Ham are negotiating for Benrahma and I can only assume that behind the scenes in SE25, the likes of Steve Parrish, [Dougie] Freedman and Hodgson see his £30 million pound fee and feel like Ismaila Sarr’s the better option for them at that money.
“I think the whole package is going to be difficult to match when the finances on offer are arguably of a greater size from West Ham than ourselves, so that’s probably one little final nail in the coffin.”
Would you prefer Palace to sign Said Benrahma or Ismaila Sarr?
Benrahma
Sarr
TIF Thoughts…
From Cook’s comments, it would appear the podcaster is of the belief that what West Ham can offer the player in terms of salary would be greater than what Palace could offer Benrahma, and as such, Cook seems to feel that, even if the club were to match the Hammers’ bid for the winger, the 25-year-old would probably still prefer a move to east London.
He and Palace, however, may have been offered a glimmer of hope in luring Benrahma to south London, following a report in the Mirror on Monday afternoon which suggested that the Algerian’s proposed move to West Ham was on the brink of collapse. One thing that is for sure is that something’s got to give before Friday’s deadline.