Deal to sign Diarra falls through over paperwork problems

Administrative difficulties have prevented West Ham from signing the France international Lassana Diarra.


Diarra has been without a club since making an acrimonious departure from Lokomotiv Moscow in August and has not played in almost nine months. He reportedly refused to train for the Russian club after a disagreement with the manager, Leonid Kuchuk, and has recently been working with West Ham with a view to a possible move.

However, the West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, confirmed after the 0-0 draw at Southampton on Wednesday night that Diarra would not be arriving at Upton Park.

“We have waited and we have negotiated for weeks to get the right deal and now we’ve got it, we find we can’t get the right paperwork and the right clearance, so we have wasted his time and our time,” he said.

“On the basis of the situation we’re in right now he would have been a very crucial player for us between now and the end of the season.”


Source: Guardian