The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has recently discussed the hold-up in the signing of Algerian winger Said Benrahma from Brentford.
On Friday, it was announced by the Hammers that they had sealed the arrival of the attacker from the Championship club on a season-long loan (per West Ham).
It is stated in the announcement that it is just an ‘initial‘ loan deal, with an agreement in place for the player to make a permanent transfer to the London Stadium.
Prior to the announcement of Benrahma’s signing, it was reported that there was a hold-up in the transfer as it had run into ‘complications’ due to a ‘sticking point’ between the player and his previous club (per The Guardian).
It was then reported that there had been another hold-up, this time in Benrahma’s medical with the club, which led to David Moyes claiming that he had not failed the medical (per Sky Sports).
So, in the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas discussed the signing of the Algerian attacker and the problem during the player’s medical.
He said: “Touching on Benrahma, he’s capable of doing extraordinary things. My mind goes back to that Cruyff turn nutmeg [that he did to] Michael Hector and he scored as a result.
“So, that’s the sort of thing he has in his locker which you don’t really see from [Pablo] Fornals but, again, great signing and hopefully, he does well for us.
“It all got very nerve-racking [due to his medical], that was largely down to a blood test that had to be re-investigated.
“So, that’s why the terms of the deal were changed from [a] permanent signing to a loan with [an] obligation to buy.”
TIF Thoughts on Roshane Thomas’ discussion regarding the hold-up in Said Benrahma’s signing…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, it seems that it was an issue regarding a blood test which meant that the terms of the transfer changed from a permanent deal to a loan.
Does Said Benrahma have the potential to be one of West Ham's best players?
No, he's not that good
Yes, he's a class player
However, with the Irons having an “obligation to buy” Benrahma, as Thomas stated, it seems that the issue has done little to stop the winger becoming a West Ham player permanently.