Having joined West Ham on loan for the 2014/15 season, Song played an integral part in the flowing football which saw the club climb to fourth in the table by Christmas. Since re-joining the Nou Camp in May, a number of sources have revealed that the midfielder is keen to return to the Premier League. With Barcelona reportedly seeking £10,000,000 for the player, the question remains as to whether West Ham should seek to retain Song’s services on a permanent basis.
Both playing approximately 2,300 minutes over 28 appearances for the club, the ideal comparison by which to gauge Song’s contribution to the team is fellow midfielder Mark Noble. In terms of passing, Noble attempted an average of 49 passes-per-game, of which 42 were successful. Song attempted a similar 44 passes, of which he completed a slightly less accurate 33. Of these, Noble made an average 1.6 key passes, whilst Song recorded an average of 1 per-game. Though Song’s passing statistics are marginally lower than Noble, the two both registered three assists over the course of the season.
Arguably the most common criticism of Song is his inability to retain possession of the ball. In 28 appearances for the club, Song was dispossessed an average of 1.6 times per-game whilst also making 1.4 bad touches. By contrast, Noble lost the ball only once per-game, making on average a further one poor touch. Thus though the two have somewhat similar passing statistics, Song proved a greater liability in retaining possession.
Defensively, the two midfielders are more balanced. Though Song’s average of 3.3 tackles-per-game was greater than Noble’s 2.5, the Cameroonian international made 1.9 fouls-per-game in the process, whilst Noble recorded only 1.2. Furthermore, Noble managed to make an average of 1.9 interceptions per-game, compared to Song’s 1.5. Though Song appears to have made more effort defensively, the statistics suggest his greater number of fouls offset any advantage gained from the higher rate of tackling.
The final consideration of Song’s value to the club is the financial cost of securing his services. Though the £10,000,000 price tag is within the owners’ means, his wages may not be. During his time at West Ham, sources reported the Cameroonian was on wages of approximately £160,000 per-week, of which the Hammers paid roughly half.
Given that top-earner Andy Carroll earns approximately £90,000 per-week, Song would need to take a huge salary drop if he were to join West Ham on a permanent basis. Though the club hopes to attract bigger names prior to the move to the Olympic Stadium, any wage higher than £100,000 per-week would be extremely unlikely. With Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool rumoured to be considering bids for the midfielder, West Ham would have difficulty financially competing for Song’s signature.
On balance, though a globally recognisable name, Song does not represent value for money. His contributions in the 2014/15 season were lesser than that of the underappreciated Mark Noble, and proved a liability to the team on a number of occasions. In the unlikely event that Song would accept wages within West Ham’s means, £10,000,000 is a large sum for a luxury player that does not always prove his worth.
Whilst Song’s loan represented the ambitious direction in which the club is headed, his signing would far from guarantee the success which must accompany the stadium switch. The club should save the fee Song would command for a lesser-known signing that would work harder for his wages, such as former-teammates Mark Noble and Cheikou Kouyate.
