a écrit le 16 avril 2016 à 5h47 Very Specific Football Question No.34: Why does nobody want Alex Song?
Kevin Darling on the rise, fall and plummet of West Ham's Barcelona loanee who looked a world beater two years ago but is now relegated to the reserves
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Kevin Darling
By Kevin Darling
15 hours ago
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When Alex Song outclassed Yaya Toure in a dominant midfield display as West Ham beat Manchester City 2-1 at Upton Park in October 2014, something didn’t feel right about it.
Anyone who witnessed the dreadlocked Cameroonian’s majestic performance - relentlessly winning tackles, gracefully orchestrating attacks, heroically leading his team-mates - was left baffled at how Sam Allardyce’s uninspiring Hammers outfit been allowed to sign a bona-fide world class talent from Barcelona for free and then unleash him on the Premier League with devastating effect.
A La Liga winner at the Nou Camp, a star of Arsenal’s midfield until his big-money move to Spain, not old, not injured, playing for West Ham when he was plainly good enough to walk into any team in England. What was the catch?
Did he have an underlying medical issue? Was he about to be arrested for arms trading? Was it the strange way he wore his shorts? Was it his wacky dress sense involving an array of extremely silly hats?
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Apparently not. For Hammers fans, the catch was simply that they had only signed Song on loan (albeit on a sensational deal that meant Barca would pay the entirety of his reported £90,000-a-week wages for the season). And while they dreamed of somehow negotiating a permanent transfer for their new star player, it seemed certain that once the year was up he would move on to bigger and better things.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Eighteen months later, Song is still at West Ham, and still on loan. But Friday’s news that Norwegian defensive midfielder Havard Nordtveit will move to east London in the summer looks like the final confirmation of what many have long suspected: Song is no longer wanted in east London. And worryingly for the 28-year-old, he doesn’t appear to be much in demand anywhere else either.
After being relegated to the bench in recent weeks, Song has not even made the squad in West Ham’s last two matches, despite not being injured. It is rumoured that the club would be forced to sign him permanently if he plays a certain number of
Kevin Darling on the rise, fall and plummet of West Ham's Barcelona loanee who looked a world beater two years ago but is now relegated to the reserves
.
Kevin Darling
By Kevin Darling
15 hours ago
..
.
.
..
View gallery
.
When Alex Song outclassed Yaya Toure in a dominant midfield display as West Ham beat Manchester City 2-1 at Upton Park in October 2014, something didn’t feel right about it.
Anyone who witnessed the dreadlocked Cameroonian’s majestic performance - relentlessly winning tackles, gracefully orchestrating attacks, heroically leading his team-mates - was left baffled at how Sam Allardyce’s uninspiring Hammers outfit been allowed to sign a bona-fide world class talent from Barcelona for free and then unleash him on the Premier League with devastating effect.
A La Liga winner at the Nou Camp, a star of Arsenal’s midfield until his big-money move to Spain, not old, not injured, playing for West Ham when he was plainly good enough to walk into any team in England. What was the catch?
Did he have an underlying medical issue? Was he about to be arrested for arms trading? Was it the strange way he wore his shorts? Was it his wacky dress sense involving an array of extremely silly hats?
..
View gallery
.
Apparently not. For Hammers fans, the catch was simply that they had only signed Song on loan (albeit on a sensational deal that meant Barca would pay the entirety of his reported £90,000-a-week wages for the season). And while they dreamed of somehow negotiating a permanent transfer for their new star player, it seemed certain that once the year was up he would move on to bigger and better things.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Eighteen months later, Song is still at West Ham, and still on loan. But Friday’s news that Norwegian defensive midfielder Havard Nordtveit will move to east London in the summer looks like the final confirmation of what many have long suspected: Song is no longer wanted in east London. And worryingly for the 28-year-old, he doesn’t appear to be much in demand anywhere else either.
After being relegated to the bench in recent weeks, Song has not even made the squad in West Ham’s last two matches, despite not being injured. It is rumoured that the club would be forced to sign him permanently if he plays a certain number of
