There has been speculation about Alex Song’s future ever since he completed his loan move from Barcelona and was paraded in front of the Boleyn Ground faithful before the loss to Southampton.
Will he end up back at Barcelona? Shouldn’t he be at a club paying in the Champions League? Surely he wouldn’t stay at West Ham? Can West Ham even afford him? – all questions posed by the media, pundits, neutrals and West Ham fans a like.
The truth is that yes, he should be playing at a club competing in the Champions League. But it’s also equally true that West Ham could afford to sign him in on a permanent basis next summer.
The big question is, in fact, whether Alex Song would be prepared to remain at West Ham as they continue taking steps towards a new era at the Olympic Stadium.
We had a man at Allardyce’s presser earlier today and the Hammers boss reckons the Hammers are an attractive prospect for someone like Song”He is a big club man.
“When you have played for Arsenal as a kid and come through at Arsenal, then at Barcelona, so he has had nothing but playing for a top club.
“But our aspirations are to get there, and a player like that would help us get there, particularly with the new stadium and 54,000 people in one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.”
“We will find out when the negotiations come around, but he is enjoying his football.
“Yes, the lure of a new stadium. Yes, the lure of London. Also finishing the season well, there are lots of bonuses to him staying here.”
Alex Song has been one of the first names on the team sheet for the Hammers this season and Allardyce also reckons that could be a key factor in the 27-year-old making a decision on where he will be next season.
“In the end Alex moved to Barcelona, he must have felt was one hell of a move at that stage of his career, but unfortunately he didn’t play as much as he wanted to, so it is fine being at these clubs but it isn’t that good if you are not playing much,” he said.
“Footballers are always disappointed when they are not playing, contrary to some thoughts.”
And Allardyce also reckons West Ham can compete with Liverpool for Song’s signature, but insists it will take a lot of West Ham’s summer budget to ensure he remains a Happy Hammer.
“I don’t think it is a given (that he will join Liverpool), but who knows.
The more we become successful, the more the team improves, the more chance we have of signing better players. But better players, comes with greater expenditure, even with FFP.
“These guys who will improve you don’t care about FFP, they want what they think they deserve, what they deem to be worth.
“If they find it somewhere else, they may go even if they don’t really want to go.
“I wouldn’t be using all of the budget on Alex, that would be suicidal, it may be a big part of it but not all of it.”
So should we sign Alex Song? Well it’s almost a given, isn’t it? Take a look at his stats from this season below and you’ll see just how important he is for us.
His calmness on the ball, coupled with his ability to pass the ball (mostly forward, which we’ve lacked in the past) makes him the perfect type of player to keep our midfield ticking over, protecting the back four and making things happen in the engine room.
