West Ham star forced to serve red card ban following January move
An FA Cup red card will still be put in place despite a January transfer move for West Ham star
The drama surrounding the loan move of Said Benrahma to Lyon appears to not be quite over. West Ham confirmed the Algerian winger would be headed to France on loan for the remainder of the season after failing to score in 22 appearances for the Hammers this season.
The deal, however, was not completed by the transfer deadline with Lyon then accusing West Ham of 'incomprehensible' behaviour and promised they would take their case to the world governing body Fifa. The Hammers have so far refused to respond to the allegations but officials at the club are said to be furious at what they believe to be inaccurate and potentially damaging claims.
Because of the delay in the transfer, Benrahma was then ineligible to play in the Ligue 1 club's 1-0 win over Marseille as he was not registered. Now, however, there is even more upset as the 28-year-old will be unavailable for the club's French Cup last 16 clash against LOSC.
This latest delay in making his debut is due to the fact that the winger was sent off in West Ham's FA Cup defeat to Bristol City. Lyon had waited for the green light from the French FA to register the Algerian in their squad, which had taken longer than usual due to the club also being monitored by the French financial watchdog.
When working out which two-games Benrahma had served for his red card, it was deemed that West Ham's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth counted but the clash between Lyon and Marseille would not as he had not been officially registered in the French side's squad.
It's now likely that Benrahma will be finally able to make his Lyon debut on Sunday 11 February when the Ligue 1 side take on Montpellier on the south coast of France.
Benrahma's move to Lyon includes an option to make the deal permanent in the summer with the fees coming from the loan aiding David Moyes in paying Kalvin Phillips temporary move to the London Stadium. While the Algerian prepares to take on Montpellier this weekend, Phillips and the rest of the Hammers will prepare to welcome Arsenal this Sunday as they bid to leap frog over Manchester United to steal sixth place.