Player upset and disappointed after transfer to West Ham United is blocked

FC Nürnberg forward Mohamed Ali Zoma was left disappointed by the club’s decision to block a move to West Ham United.

BILD report that the 22-year-old and his representatives had been hoping that the move to the London Stadium would be sanctioned.

The newspaper reports that just under two weeks ago, sporting director Joti Chatzialexiou blocked the ‘lightning-fast striker’ from leaving.

That was despite ‘massive offers’ from West Ham – worth up to €20m – and Olympique Marseille, who were just shy of that figure.

Player disappointed

Mohamed Ali Zoma and his camp were left disappointed by that decision. They had hoped for a transfer and were keen on the move to the London Stadium.

The forward later refrained from celebrating his goal against Arminia Bielefeld as a sign of his disappointment. Now the focus is on helping him get over it.

Coach Miroslav Klose, for example, is taking the sympathetic route. He’s working to prevent any long-term fall-out from the West Ham move being blocked.

“I think he’s put it behind him,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to him, of course. To me, his reaction was completely normal – completely human. But now, you don’t notice any of that anymore. He’s been training fantastically the whole time.”

Dip in form

That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a dip in form, though. A sensational start to the season, including a hattrick, has been followed by somewhat inconsistent displays around the time of the West Ham move being blocked. Klose is aware of that.

“Maybe the last two games were a bit unlucky,” he added.

“But he’s a massive player for us. Just look at the way he glides through – almost – when he’s in the mood. It’s awesome, and we’ll definitely need that on Friday.”

Mohamed Ali Zoma is now expected to shake off the disappointment of missing West Ham – and the frustration – when the team faces Hannover this week. Otherwise, Nürnberg may have to take more serious measures.