ALEX SONG
Born: 9 September 1987, Douala, Cameroon
Former clubs: Bastia, Arsenal, Charlton Athletic (loan), Barcelona
West Ham United beat off interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs to complete the signing of Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on a season-long loan deal in August 2014.
Song, 26, spent the last two seasons at the Nou Camp following his £15million move from Arsenal in the summer of 2012, playing 39 La Liga matches and winning the title in 2012/13.
The Cameroon international, who can also play at centre-back, was delighted to be returning to London with the Hammers.
2014/15
Debuted from the bench in the 2-2 draw at Hull City on 15 September 2014...Captained the Hammers against Manchester United and QPR in Kevin Nolan's and Mark Noble's absence.
Before West Ham
Born in Douala, Cameroon, Song started his professional career in France with Bastia on the island of Corsica, where he quickly progressed to the first team, making his debut as a 16-year-old in the 2003/04 campaign...After 32 Ligue 1 appearances by the age of 17, he earned a move to Arsenal, initially on loan, before signing a permanent contract with the Gunners in summer 2006...Despite still being a teenager, Song appeared in the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League during his debut Arsenal season and, after returning from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic in 2007, established himself in Arsene Wenger's side...In October 2010 he scored a late Barclays Premier League winner against the Hammers at the Emirates - one of ten goals he netted for the Gunners...By the time he moved on to Barcelona in 2012, Song had made 138 Premier League appearances for the Gunners - 206 in all competitions - and was a League Cup runner-up in 2011...With Barcelona, in addition to his La Liga winners' medal, Song also won the Supercopa Espana in 2013 and was part of the Barca squad which lost to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last term...Internationally, Song has been capped 47 times by Cameroon, finishing second in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and featuring in the last two FIFA World Cup finals.