As things stand, Said Benrahma’s future is still very much up in the air. It appears that Julen Lopetegui will take David Moyes’ place as the new West Ham manager soon. During the January transfer window, the Algerian international left the Hammers to sign a loan with Lyon. Following his departure, he made a very direct and pointed jab at Moyes. With new manager Julen Lopetegui joining the club, he will obviously think about his signings and outgoings. Benrahma will stand out as a choice to sell.
Olympique Lyonnais have the option to sign Benrahma on a permanent contract valued at £12.3 million. However, if Julen Lopetegui decides to stick with Benrahma, things could change. It was reported that Moyes and Said had some differences, which led to his departure. Benrahma has been a good servant at the club and has been a good squad player for them. Benrahma has racked up 24 goals and 20 assists in his 155 outings for the Hammers. He has been decent for the Premier League club.
Julen Lopetegui will be the deciding factor
Benrahma was never a bad performer; he just fell out with Moyes. He was never a good fit for Moyes’ system, which discourages any kind of artistic expression from his wingers and places strict defensive discipline demands on them. It is not surprising that Benrahma is so successful in France, especially since Lyon is led by the more forward-thinking and visionary Pierre Sage. After just 13 games, he already has three goals and three assists. This will give Julen Lopetegui a lot to think about.
The Evening Standard has provided an update on whether Lopetegui could try to keep Benrahma when he returns from his loan spell with Lyon:
“The arrival of Lopetegui is not expected to change plans for Said Benrahma and Thilo Kehrer to make their January loan exits permanent.”
A lot depends on whether Julen likes Benrahma as a player or not. As of now, it appears he will leave the club.
As featured on HammersHeadlines.com.
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