Alex Song – 2012 (£15 million)
Song rose to prominence in the 2010-11 season for Arsenal where he was voted in second place for the Gunners’ Player of the Year award. Starting as a holding midfielder, the Cameroon international blossomed into a fine deep-lying playmaker.
Like many before him, he caught the eye of the Barca hierarchy who tabled a £15 million bid which was accepted by Arsenal, a tidy profit on a player they signed from Bastia for £1 million six years earlier.
The midfielder spent two seasons in Catalonia making 39 league outings, highlighted by the La Liga title in his first season. Predictably, Song was unable to dislodge Barca’s all-conquering midfield of Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta, and found himself on the outer and looking for an exit route.
Song joined West Ham on loan in 2014 and after a solid first season for the Hammers, he agreed to sign on at Upton Park for another loan season. So far, he has made just eight appearances this term.
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