How West Ham Could Line Up With Said Benrahma

West Ham's summer/autumn of transfer pain is finally coming to an end, with the signing of Said Benrahma for a fee that could eventually reach £30m.

The Algeria international has been a standout player in the Championship for the past two seasons, being named Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year, as well as featuring in the PFA Team of the Year.

His future now - unless there are any last minute hitches - lies in east London under West Ham manager David Moyes, who will be tasked with continuing to bring out the best in Benrahma - much like Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been able to do.

But how will the adventurous playmaker fit into Moyes' side and how might the Scot look to utilise him at a higher level? Here, 90min attempts to answer that very question.

Benrahma for Fornals

In West Ham's past couple of Premier League games, they have found great success utilising three central defenders and using the increasingly popular wing-backs system.

Declan Rice sits in the heart of midfield and breaks up play, while Tomas Soucek has been given the licence to act as a powerhouse box-to-box midfielder - supporting Michail Antonio through the middle while Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals mix things up in the channels.

Benrahma, meanwhile, has almost exclusively lined up on the left hand side of Brentford's famed front 'BMW' attacking triumvirate - alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins - and between the three of them, they accounted for 78% of the 83 league goals the Bees scored during 2019/20.

The 25-year-old was responsible for scoring 17 goals and setting nine up, figures that are considerably higher than the output of Fornals, who has been occupying the left flank for West Ham. What the Spaniard does bring though, and it's what makes him a favourite of Moyes, is tremendous work-rate, endeavour and a regular high-intensity press.

Whether Benrahma is up for that particular challenge remains to be seen, but keeping the system consistent is the most likely scenario when you consider how solid West Ham have looked in this shape.

Benrahma on the Left, Haller Alongside Antonio

In most scenarios, Fornals making way is the only way to get Benrahma into West Ham's side - with a switch to a possible 4-4-2, utilised before March's coronavirus lockdown, a possibility at some point.

The majority of personnel would remain the same in this particular lineup, with Aaron Cresswell slotting back into a traditional back four and club-record signing Sebastien Haller brought back in up front to play alongside the menacing Antonio.

In terms of solidity, two banks of four would allow West Ham to keep things tight, and Antonio or Haller could drop back into a number ten role out of possession to provide an extra body in defence. But it's going forward where the exciting possibilities lie, as Haller's presence up front alongside West Ham's most in-form player could open up more space for Benrahma.

Playing against a back four, he could look to isolate an opposing full-back - something he's likely to try and do if you look at his dribbling stats from last season. Every 90 minutes, he attempts to run with the ball 5.9 times on average, succeeding 55% of the time.

That would suggest that getting to the byline would be high on his list of priorities, while he'd also benefit from Haller occupying a central defender so that he could unleash an effort on goal.

Benrahma Wide Left, Fornals Central Behind Antonio

If that's a little too adventurous, there is the option of reverting to a flexible 4-2-3-1 system, that can very quickly adapt to a 4-5-1 defensively, or a bog standard 4-3-3 depending on the strength of opposition.

Fornals may have been performing well on the left for West Ham, but his natural position is in behind the striker - where he can look to get on the ball and create opportunities. Were he to be moved inside, his high work-rate would help support Rice and Soucek when out of possession, and he'd be able to sit in the hole as the Czech marauds forward on the counter.

Benrahma may find the system beneficial, too, so he can interchange with Fornals on occasion and look to cut inside and take a shot at goal. Whatever the system, the Algerian is almost certain to drive into wherever the space may be, either unleashing brilliance or absolute drivel.

It's that uncertainty that makes him the perfect West Ham signing and a player that every fan will want to watch week in, week out - hopefully in the flesh.