West Ham United may have seen their January transfer window efforts fall flatter than a pancake but come the summer, David Gold and Sam Allardyce have some serious plans.
Chief among them will be to secure Alex Song on a permanent deal, with the midfielder currently on a season long loan from Barcelona – and impressing more and more with each passing game.
So much so that he has a fair few admirers in the Premier League now, and it could well be a battle to sign him come the summer – but Song has handed the east London club a boost in said battle.
Song noted: ‘My future will be in England. I think I have more opportunities to stay in London because I have my house in London, my family live here, my kids have a lot of friends in London.’
That is the equivalent of a come and get me plea for West Ham, but there is of course the danger that Song will attract interest from former club Arsenal, who passed over the chance to sign him on loan in the summer – or another of the big London clubs – and the better Song plays, the more chance there is of that happening.
It would however seemingly rule the likes of Liverpool out of landing the player – and that is only a good thing for the Hammers. The fact that Song has made it clear how happy he is in London, not to mention playing week in, week out under Allardyce, is not only a massive boost for the club but also for the player who was so unhappy during his time at Barcelona it was painful to watch.
One thing that does not seem to be on the cards for Song is a return to the Camp Nou, and you have to wonder even if the club wanted him back if Song would actually want to return to his parent club. West Ham offer him the chance to play football on a regular basis, they offer him a life in London and they offer him the respect and adulation he would never get with the Cules.
Song is tailor made for the Premier League. His style of play and imposing nature in the middle of the park makes him perfect – and the Hammers know this. They have seen it, and for that reason alone they will move heaven and earth to make sure they are the ones who land Song on a permanent deal come the summer.
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