As with any potential signing, the club that would be acquiring the player has to take note of the positives and the negatives that the new player, or in Song and Arsenal’s case, new-old player, brings with him. The arguments for and against signing Alex Song are hefty and have their own strength in their own right but, if Arsenal are to buy the midfielder, they would have to move relatively fast, with Manchester City, Chelsea and West Ham United among the clubs reportedly interested in bringing the player back to England.
Knowledge of the Premier League
Song is an experienced Premier League player, having played for Arsenal from 2005 to 2012, along with a loan spell at Charlton in 2007 and a spell on loan at West Ham from Barcelona in the season that just finished, the 2014-2015 season. With 188 appearances in the Premier League, there would be no worry of Song having to adapt to the league like Mesut Ozil has had to or Angel Di Maria has not yet.
Plugging a gap
Much has been documented about Arsenal’s need for a defensive midfielder, with the role in Arsene Wenger’s team not really having been fulfilled since the days Gilberto Silva was at the club. Coquelin’s emergence this season has gone some way to providing the balance to Arsenal that a true defensive midfielder does but should Arsenal look to bring back the more experienced Alex Song, who is also naturally a central defensive midfielder.
No more international football
On the 6th of January 2015, Alex Song made the decision to retire from international football with Cameroon, citing his wish to focus on rebuilding his domestic career with West Ham. He had not even be picked to represent Cameroon in the 2015 edition of the African Cup of Nations. The fact that Song no longer has to deal with the distraction of international African football, which can remove a player mid-season to play in the African Cup of Nations, as Manchester City are aware to their detriment with Yaya Toure this season, a player now considering interntational retirement himself, is a massive positive.
27 years young
Somewhat surprisingly, the midfielder is only 27-years-old, which is relatively young for a midfielder, especially one that plays in the more defensive role. His best years seemingly ahead of him, with certain precautions and no international football, Arsenal could end up squeezing out six to eight years of high-level football from Alex Song, which would end up validating Song's transfer and then some.
Those are some of the positives that arise from potentially signing Alex Song, but what negatives stem from this transaction?
Coquelin’s development
Midway through the 2014-2015 season, an injury crisis that resulted in Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini being side-lined forced Arsene Wenger to stop Francis Coquelin from extending his loan at Charlton to the end of the season. Instead, Coquelin was thrust into the first team and made good on the chance he was given, cementing his place in the side as the lone central defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1/4-2-3-1 hybrid where Santi Cazorla would play as the deep-lying playmaker. The tenacious tackler is now firmly in the first team picture; the arrival of Alex Song could stunt his development and stop Coquelin turning into the long-term solution for Arsenal's defensive midfield problems.
Money talks
Whilst Arsenal would be able to sign Song for a relatively cheap fee of around £10 million, his wages could prove to be a stumbling block. Song is believed to want in excess of £100,000 a week which would make him one of the highest earners at Arsenal FC. Would the financially stringent Wenger be willing to provide this pay-out?
Questions about ability
Alex Song’s time at Barcelona resulted in 39 appearances in La Liga over two seasons. Whilst it is no shame to not be able to break into a midfield that was made up of Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets, Barcelona then allowing Song to go on loan to mid-table West Ham must ring some alarm bells. West Ham are a decent side with potential to become even better following their upcoming move into the Olympic Stadium but should title-challenging Arsenal be buying a player to go into their first team that was playing on loan at West Ham?
Discipline
In the system that Arsenal play, the central defensive midfielder in the 4-1-4-1 has to shield the entirety of the back-four whilst also being a steady, calming influence in midfield with possession and acting as a platform for the attack to build upon. The defensive midfielder has to be disciplined, keep the ball ticking over, not venture too far forward and not commit to unnecessary tackles. Song naturally has some attacking instincts that see him join the offensive rather than anchor in midfield. In fact, former Cameroon coach, Jaiver Clemente, described Song as a "much better player in attack than he is defensively".
The defensive midfielder attacking more than defending would prove to be fatal in a system that requires as delicate a balance as the one Wenger currently employs with the Gunners. Famously, in the 2014 World Cup for Cameroon, Song struck out into the back of Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic, upending him and getting a red card, three match international suspension and $22,000 fine. A player who is overly familiar with the colours of the cards the referee has at his disposal, should Arsenal sign Song to play in arguably the most disciplined role in the team?
The positives and negatives of signing Alex Song back for Arsenal could be argued all day but what is certain is that signing Song would be a risk. Is Wenger willing to take the gamble though?