If there is one thing you learn during
the transfer window, it's that you
either can't believe 90 percent of what
you read, or you need to read
between the lines to make sense of all
of the transfer rumors that fly about
the tabloids.
Such is the case with Arsenal's Alex
Song, who, it's been rumored, has
drawn wanting eyes from La Liga
powerhouse Barcelona
. But given some of the information
available, it seems just as likely that
Song (or his agent) has propagated
some of those rumors as a
negotiation ploy to extend his contract
with Arsenal.
There is this from Sky Sports (via Fox
Sports), for instance: "Song has two-
years left on his current deal at the
Emirates, but Sky Sports understands
he would like to extend that."
Or there's the fact that Arsene Wenger
has claimed that Barcelona have had
no contact with Arsenal about the
midfielder. From The Sun:
“There’s nothing going on
with Song. There’s nothing in
that. Song has three years
contract, he’s not in the same
situation as Robin Van Persie."
“In Spain the newspapers are
not really serious. We’ve had
the experience of that. We’ve
never had any contact with
anybody from Barcelona.”
Hmmm...Player wants a contract
extension. Rumors surface that one of
the most successful, top-spending
clubs in the world has interest in said
player. That level of interest in player
could naturally be leveraged by an
agent wanting a sizable weekly wage
for his player, wouldn't you say?
I can just hear the agent negotiating
now:
You don't want to pay higher wages
on an extension at this time? Oh, no
problem, we'll just wait on
Barcelona then; they have interest
in Alex. I'm sure they won't mind
giving him his worth in two years, or
before then when they come calling
for a transfer. Of course, we could
avoid all of that now while Alex's
terms are more favorable for
you...I mean, who wants to be
bidding against Barcelona?
I don't doubt that Barca has some
level of interest in Song. He's a
talented, box-to-box midfielder who
offers the versatility of being able to
play both as a holding midfielder and
as a more attack-oriented player who
facilitates the offense.
There's no way he would get as much
playing time at Barcelona as he does
at Arsenal—it's hard to imagine Song
displacing Xavi, Sergio Busquets,
Andres Iniesta or Cesc Fabregas—but
a number of the team's players have
expressed interest
in adding Song, so they would find a
way to incorporate him.
And why wouldn't they? The more the
merrier, right?
But I doubt these rumors derived with
an insider plugged into Barca's
management. If I were to guess, I
would say these probably started with
Song's agent.
Again, it's pure speculation on my
part—a bored Spanish sportswriter
may have decided to stir the pot, or
the rumors could derive from
legitimate Barca interest—but the
more I look at it, the more it seems
wholly beneficial for Song's future
earnings that Barcelona "has interest"
in him.
He'll be a Gunner for now and,
hopefully, for a long time after that.
One of the most improved players
over the years for the Gunners is also
one of the most important players for
the team right now, especially if Robin
van Persie is finally sold.
They would be crazy to let him go.
They know it, he knows it, his agent
knows it and, yes, Barcelona knows it.
But hey, why not put some ideas in
Wenger's head, right? It can't hurt
when any future contract discussions
take place, right?
Sure can't. It's just another reason
why the transfer windows in
European soccer are so much fun.
And why you need to take 90 percent
of what you read in August and
January with a grain of salt.
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