In an interview with Téléfoot, Saïd Benrahma (28) has revealed his reasoning for leaving West Ham United and deciding to join Lyon in Ligue 1.
Benrahma was the subject of interest from several Ligue 1 clubs in the January transfer, but perhaps the most strongly by two Olympique clubs – Lyon and Marseille. Eventually, it would be Lyon who would win the race to sign the Algerian international on loan until the end of the season. OL’s move for the 28-year-old also includes an option to buy should they want to make Benrahma’s move from West Ham permanent in the summer transfer window.
When asked about his decision to leave West Ham and join Lyon instead of Marseille, Benrahma said, “Lyon showed a real interest in me. There was no hesitation about that. Afterwards, I can feel the support of the city of Lyon.”
The desired impact
The former Brentford attacking midfielder has had an instant impact during his brief time at Lyon so far. Benrahma has instantly become one of the team’s most important players and a regular starter for Les Gones. He has also scored his first goal for OL in a 2-1 win against Metz.
Quizzed about the feeling of scoring his first goal for Lyon, the West Ham loanee said, “I was super happy, it freed me. After the goal, I felt calmer with the ball. So, I tried to perform as well as possible.”
GFFN | Liam Wraith
