Cottee: I can’t see West Ham taking up any offer to sign Alex Song

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Former West Ham United striker Tony Cottee says he can’t see the club signing Alex Song on a permanent basis.

Former West Ham United striker Tony Cottee revealed in London24 that he can’t see the club taking up an option to sign Alex Song on a permanent basis.

Cottee has suggested that the Barcelona owned midfielder hasn’t shown the consistency needed over a long season, for it to be worth the club investing in a fee of around £15 million to make his loan move permanent.

“Alex Song came on and did well in the second half at Villa, but he really illustrates what has happened to West Ham this season. He was superb at the start of the season, but has really done very little since Christmas,” said Cottee.

“I can’t see us taking Barcelona up on the offer to sign him for £15million. I think money would be better spent elsewhere.”

It’s a shame because Song had the potential to really take control of West Ham’s midfield and dominate in his position.

Initially he did well, allowing the side’s quicker and more creative midfielders to get forward and buzz around the strikers, which gave the club’s opposition some real problems.

However, injuries since the turn of the year have seen him bouncing in and out of the team, which makes consistency difficult when he’s having to adjust all the time to different situations.

His stats in typically defensive areas for this season show that he’s competitive against a lot of his West Ham teammates, with a clear impact in the number of tackles he wins per game on average.

He breaks up the play well and works hard on and off the ball to have an impact, but whether he fits in with the style of what Sam Allardyce or the club’s owners are planning remains to be seen.