Olympique Lyonnais has confirmed the signing of Saïd Benrahma (28) from West Ham United on loan with an option to buy, after a saga involving many competing bids, a late attempted kidnapping and finally administrative errors.
The deal appeared to have collapsed when Lyon reported that West Ham had failed to enter administrative details into FIFA’s Transfer Management System (TMS).
However, the club wrote that it would consider options to confirm the deal at a later date, as it had appealed to FIFA that the circumstances were beyond its control.
Lyon was allowed to complete the deal
The following day it was revealed that Lyon’s arguments had convinced FIFA and, following the approval of the French Football Association and the Football Association, all three organisations gave the club the green light to proceed with the transfer.
Benrahma will now end this protracted saga and join his new team in a crucial final period for Les Gones, who hope that an active winter transfer window has provided enough depth to avoid the relegation zone.