West Ham's Song deal in the balance

  • by Staff Writer
  • Wednesday, 26th August 2015

West Ham's bid to sign Alex Song from Barcelona is almost certainly on hold until January as a result of his recent failed medical.

The midfielder had previously agreed personal terms with West Ham, who were set to sign the Cameroon international on a free transfer from the reigning La Liga champions.

However a failed medical last Friday has led the club to reconsider their options, one of which is to wait until the next transfer window in January - by when Song is expected to be fully fit - to complete the deal.

With the 27-year-old still still suffering from a persistent ankle injury, no date has been set for his return to first team football.

And that - combined with the current drastic injury situation at the club - has dissuaded Hammers chiefs from going ahead with the move now and looking instead towards alternative options.


Song back in Barcelona today with Brazilian international Neymar (Instagram)


One of Song's potential replacements is Joey Barton, who remains a possibility despite some players and fans having previously expressed their disapproval when his arrival was first mooted earlier this month.

Speaking about the aborted deal in last week's KUMB West Ham Podcast, David Sullivan refused to completely rule out a return for the 32-year-old former bad boy.

"He's not a mug, he was the best player at Queens Park Rangers last year so he would have made a contribution in an area where we're short of numbers," Sullivan told Podcast hosts James Longman and Chris Scull.

And when asked to categorically state whether the deal was dead in the water, he replied: "I'd say 99 per cent dead. I would have personally signed Joey Barton as it was an exceptionally good deal from a financial point of view."

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