With the new Premier League season commencing in less than a month, the most important task for West Ham United boss David Moyes is to replace Declan Rice’s quality and influence on the pitch.
One of the leading candidates is Edson Alvarez, who the Hammers has already expressed a keenness to sign.
What’s the latest on Edson Alvarez to West Ham United?
According to a piece published by The Athletic last week, the Hammers have contacted Ajax to start the conversation over the transfer of the midfielder.
An offer is yet to be made, but it is expected, with the Dutch Giant set to command a fee of around £40m for Alvarez’s services.
The 25-year-old was also the subject of Premier League interest last year, with Chelsea close to sealing a deal that eventually broke down as Ajax felt there was insufficient time to find a replacement.
Christian Falk believes that the Irons could be front-runners for Alvarez, ahead of Bayern Munich in the pecking order.
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, he said:
“Bayern Munich also had him on the radar — and still — but it's not so hot. He's not the only one in this position — and it would only happen after everything is done with Kane and perhaps Kyle Walker — so he's not the first option. For West Ham, they have the money and Ajax want to see money, so they have a good chance."
Would Edson Alvarez be a good signing for West Ham?
Alvarez has been at Ajax since 2019 and has made 147 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Upon his arrival, then-director of football Marc Overmars described him as “versatile.” This has been proven by the Mexican’s ability to play in defensive midfield (139 games) or centre-back (83 games) across his career, as per Transfermarkt.
For the Irons, he could be a key midfielder and is an infinitely better option than Flynn Downes. From a defensive perspective, the 69-cap international outranks the former Swansea man for tackles per 90 (2.47 vs 1.89), interceptions per 90 (1.25 vs 0.83), and aerials won per 90 (3.38 vs 1.06).
Furthermore, Alvarez also performs better than Downes on the ball, with more progressive passes per 90 (7.76 vs 2.60), progressive carries per 90 (2.54 vs 0.35), and successful take-ons per 90 (0.63 vs 0.12).
These damning statistics place Downes are part of the reason as to why the Englishman only managed seven Premier League starts last year. It is perhaps even more eye-opening when you consider that he couldn’t get game time over the abject Tomas Soucek.
Last September, the ExWHUemployee slammed the Czech for his poor form, saying: “Honestly, I’ve been saying this for over a year now, I’ve been saying this for about a year and a half. The game just bypasses him.”
Therefore, the signing of Alvarez could put the final nail in Downes’ unsuccessful West Ham career as the chance of regular minutes looks like a far-fetched dream.
Once lauded as a “monster” by Felipe Cardenas, this transfer would be an excellent way to help the east London faithful recover from Rice’s exit.
