Pending a successful operation, Alex Song’s arrival seems to be drawing ever closer but is he really the man we need to solve our lack of creativity that was evident in our quite abysmal performance at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium against FC Birkirkara?
Alex Song was an integral part of our impressive start last season under Big Sam but he has moved on now and under different management can Song still shine?
Song is a player who is vastly experienced at the highest level of club football with Arsenal, Barcelona, and West Ham of course, and has played at international level with Cameroon at the World Cup. He is undoubtedly a top quality player who we must sign as on his day he offers a style of play that none of our current midfielders can produce, although I am a massive fan of both Cheickhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang, who is a very solid midfielder. Not only that, but Alex Song can be a very creative player if given the freedom to get forward and with the two previously mentioned midfielders providing defensive cover, perhaps we could find a system that caters for all of the midfielders above.
In terms of squad depth I don’t think simply signing Alex Song is enough. We probably would manage but going into this season I feel that it is better to be safe than sorry. Because of this I have come up with a list of players we should consider to boost our numbers.
Estaban Cambiasso: Cambiasso has recently revealed he will not be returning to the King Power Stadium where he was vital in the Foxes’ escape from relegation, picking up the player of the season award in the process. He was only handed a year contract which is something the Leicester board probably regret now but their loss could be our gain and we should consider Cambiasso with his experience and European know-how.
Alen Halilović: The 19 year old Croatian international has already played at Upton Park when last year he faced Argentina in an international friendly where Lionel Messi was the difference between the two sides. Luis Enrique doesn’t feel that Halilović is quite ready for first team action at Barcelona but the central midfielder is not satisfied with plying his trade in the third division of Spanish football following Barcelona B’s relegation from the second tier.
Reports have suggested West Ham are close to signing the playmaker for a fee of around €5million plus an option for Barcelona to buy him back. This would be a really good signing if the rumours are true however I have issues with the ‘buy back’ option reported. If we want to improve and “challenge the top six” as David Gold claims, then why are we signing players, developing these players and then selling them again? We need to ensure continuous improvement.
Adrien Rabiot: Rabiot has a great level of potential and has been gaining major transfer interest from many clubs with West Ham the latest club enquiring about his availability. It has been reported that PSG have responded to an enquiry with a fee that is quite simply more than we can afford but our chairmen have recently shown that they can be serious negotiators in the transfer market so hopefully these talks can begin as Rabiot possesses real quality and potential.
