West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has dubbed Alex Song among his greatest signings.
Song has been a revelation since his summer arrival on-loan from Barcelona.
"It was much greater delight when we signed Alex than when we heard he's not going to the African Cup of Nations," said Allardyce. "Because that was under the radar, it took a little while for anybody to twig on which was very unusual.
"Under the radar was very important because it fended off any other possible takers for Alex. I thought it was a miracle, based on what normally leaks out. We fended off one big club in Turkey at the time and it wasn't just West Ham he was impressed with but also the fact he loves London, from his Arsenal time. If he likes it, he might want to stay.
"What started off to be an enquiry ended up being a deal that was done extremely quickly. When it came off that quick and he chose us, then I was absolutely delighted.
"Every West Ham fan now sees why I was so happy about clinching such a player and what it means to us as a team in terms of his ability to control a game and to control midfield. Not being in the Cameroon squad is delightful for me, but not as big a delight as when he joined us.
"In terms of my best signings, Alex is up there with Fernando Hierro and Ivan Campo from Madrid, the way he plays the game and controls and sits in that midfield. He's cool, calm, never rushed, that's a measure of a quality player - when he never looks under pressure or rushed in what he tries to do."