Song returns to West Ham on loan from Barcelona

(Reuters) - Barcelona midfielder Alex Song has rejoined West Ham United on a season-long loan, the Premier League club's chairman said on his official Twitter account. The 27-year-old Cameroonian spent last season on loan at the Hammers as well, after failing to nail down a regular starting spot with the Spanish champions, who he joined from Arsenal for a reported 15 million pounds in 2012. He made 31 appearances for the Hammers last season and scored thrice in the league. "It has just been confirmed. Alex Song has signed a season long loan deal to join West Ham. Welcome back Alex," Hammers' chairman David Gold said on Twitter. The signing was confirmed soon after by a statement on the club's website. Song became the Hammers' eighth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Darren Randolph, Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet, Angelo Ogbonna, Carl Jenkinson, Manuel Lanzini, George Dobson and Stephen Hendrie. "I am very happy. For me it was very important to come back because when I was here I had a great rapport with the fans and the club," Song said. "When I left I didn't know I would come back here. It was not easy but at the end of the day, the most important thing is I'm here now and I'm very happy." Song, who has 47 caps for Cameroon, announced his retirement from international football in January, citing his wish to focus on his club career. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)