Said Benrahma must make a big statement for West Ham United against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The 26-year-old has been really disappointing for the Hammers since returning from playing in the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria at the start of the year.
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Benrahma joined West Ham from Brentford in October 2020.
He ended up joining on a permanent £25 million deal in January 2021, having spent the previous three months at the London Stadium on a £4 million loan deal (Eurosport).
Benrahma struggled to make much of an impact during his first season at the London Stadium though.
The Algeria international did find some form during the first couple of months of this season but then went through a really bad patch.
Chelsea vs West Ham a chance to shine for Benny
He has still bagged nine goals and six assists this season (Transfermarkt) but that hasn’t prevented David Moyes from giving him the cold shoulder on numerous occasions.
And Claret and Hugh even suggested recently that Moyes could be prepared to allow Benrahma to leave the London Stadium in the summer.
We believe that there could very well be some truth in that. Having said that, the ex-Brentford winger may well have one more big chance to impress Moyes…
Benrahma must made big statement for West Ham against Chelsea today
Moyes is expected to make plenty of changes for this afternoon’s clash with the Blues what with the Europa League semi-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt just around the corner.
Benrahma has barely played of late, so he will surely be given the nod to start at Stamford Bridge today. Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen all could do with a rest ahead the Europa League clash.
And today’s game against Chelsea could well be Benny’s last chance to make a big statement in a West Ham shirt.
We all know what the 26-year-old is capable of, he’s a match-winner on his day. The Algerian just hasn’t been consistent enough for the Hammers though and his end product has been severely lacking a lot of the time.
Whether that is due to his lack of confidence that has been a product of Moyes’s harsh treatment of him is a debate for another day.
All that matters now for Said is to produce the goods when called upon. And if Benrahma does indeed get the nod for West Ham against Chelsea today, he cannot afford to go missing. If he does, it may well be the last time we see him in a Hammers shirt for a game with any kind of significance.
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