Sam Allardyce knows there’s no way he will be able to persuade Alex Song one way or the other as he muses a permanent move to West Ham.Discussing the chances Allardyce said: “We will worry about that when it comes to the decision-making process.
“Alex is a strong character and a strong individual and won’t be pressed either way until he is ready. If we continue where we are, we are loading up the positives for us.
“If we can stay at this level of football and stay around this position and he helps us to do that, then we are strengthening our arm for something that might be more permanent.
“Someone else coming, it might attract him, but it might be a case of better the devil you know rather than moving somewhere else.”
The loan signing of Song came as something of a surprise he praised owner David Sullivan for his swift work to get the move on.
“I was delighted when we signed him because it was under the radar,” added Allardyce.
“It took even the media a while to twig on, which is very unusual. Under the radar was very important because it fended off any other possible takers for Alex and what started off to be an enquiry ended up being a deal that was done extremely quickly by Barcelona, David Sullivan and the agents.
“When it came off that quickly and he chose us I was absolutely delighted and every West Ham fan sees now why I was so happy about clinching such a player, even though it is only a loan, and what he means to us as a team and his ability to control a game and to control midfield.
“I thought it (keeping the move quiet) was a miracle based on what normally filters out in football today.
“We fended off one big club in Turkey at that time and it wasn’t just the club he was impressed with, it was that he loves London. That was a factor. We have got ambition and if he likes it he might want to stay.”
“I think he is up there with a (Fernando) Hierro or (Ivan) Campo for me. He is up in that bracket in the way he plays the game, he sits in that central position and reads the game.
“He is cool, calm and never rushed. That is a measure of a quality player, when he never looks under pressure.”
