Signing Chris Wood towards the end of the transfer window to replace the departing Andre Grey, Burnley were also after Lorient forward Majeed Waris.
The Ghanaian striker, who was given the green light to leave the club if the right offer came along, was a target for a number of clubs, including West Ham and the aforementioned Clarets.
Speaking to Ouest-France, the club’s president, Loïc Féry decided to shed some light on what happened, and why the 25-year-old didn’t get the move he so clearly desired.
He said: “The moment where it all got stuck, was around mid-August. We were close, at that point, with some clubs, but there were complications. Then, in the last few days of the window, it was more the work permit issues that were worrying English clubs.”
As for a potential departure before the end of the week, when the Turkish transfer window closes, the club president admitted it was a possibility, but that a move there wasn’t part of the striker’s plans, giving new hope for the Clarets and the Hammers.
He explained: “His first goal is to return to the national team. His second is to play in England. I don’t doubt that he will one day play there. I think that playing well for Lorient will help him achieve his goals”.
Down the player’s end, Féry admitted the failed move to West Ham or Burnley was playing on Waris’ mind, revealing he was ‘disappointed’, but that, as a professional, it was in his best interests to put it behind him for now and focus on Lorient.
And regarding a January exit? “We’ll first see how the rest of the civil year goes. A Majeed departure this winter is not the planned scenario”.
Next year it is, then.
