West Ham fans have seen their hopes of signing Alex Song given a boost after the midfielder revealed his children have fallen in love with the club.
The 27-year-old is enjoying a season-long loan spell at Upton Park and has admitted he would like to quit parent-club Barcelona and seal a permanent move back to the Premier League in the summer.
Former Arsenal man Song has already played more minutes for the Hammers than in his previous two seasons at the Nou Camp and is a favourite amongst West Ham supporters.
With reported interest from both Liverpool and the Gunners, Song will not be short of options at the end of the campaign but insists his first-choice would be to remain in London -- with his two sons delighted with his involvement at West Ham.
"They are more than happy," he said of his children's mood at returning to England.
"My boys were saying yesterday 'Daddy I don't want to leave here any more, you have to stay!' They love London.
"They are very happy here and for my family, the most important thing is happiness, all they want me to do is perform to make them happy.
"The thing that hurt me the most was my kids because they were seeing me play every single game, every single week at Arsenal.
"Then when I left my boys one day were coming to me going, 'Daddy why aren't you playing? Is it because the manager doesn't like you?' It was hard for me to explain to them that it isn't easy at Barcelona."
As well as his family's happiness, Song -- who retired from international football ahead of Cameroon's African Nations Cup campaign -- revealed he has fallen back in love with the game and that the support of the West Ham fans will be considered when he takes a decision over where his long-term future lies.
"When I wake up in the morning I'm more than happy because I know I have the opportunity to play and I do what I love to do -- play football," he said.
"I enjoy it and make people happy, make the fans happy. If the fans are happy with the way we are playing I'm always happy.
"I want to just perform to give them something back. When you come somewhere and people give you the love, what do you want to do? If I'm a football player it is to just perform.
"I will put everything together and at the end of the day I will choose what I want to do. I was in Barcelona and I was not playing.
"I did not have the opportunity to play, but I just kept believing because I know what I can do. Then I had the opportunity to come to England and I have to continue improving my game, which I was doing before."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has made no secret of his desire to thrash out a permanent deal for Song and the player revealed he was sold on West Ham after chatting to the 60-year-old.
Song added: "I was at home and I was trying to choose where I wanted to go. I had a lot of opportunities, for me it was not very hard to take the decision.
"I didn't want to go to Italy, I cancelled it straight away. I wanted to come back, I have friends here. One day I spoke with the manager and the gaffer said 'would you like to come to West Ham?'
"He said: 'we are playing very well, come and see.' My wife was telling me we had to come to London as well, so I said 'okay' and now today she is right for telling me to come here.
"I am sure in the next five years West Ham will challenge with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Then when they jump to the new stadium I think more players will come in and the club will look different.
"Now we just have to finish very well this season and then we'll see. I think everything is going well, we just have to continue improving and if we play very well at the end of the season I think more players will come in and the project will get going."
Whether that project will move ahead with or without Song remains to be seen but fans of West Ham will no doubt continue to back him -- starting with Sunday's clash with Manchester United.