West Ham may now have a free run of sorts at Edson Alvarez following Borussia Dortmund’s decision to call off the hunt for the Ajax star.
Christian Falk shared in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside that manager Edin Terzic has decided that his current options in the squad should be sufficient for the position in question.
“Dortmund told Edson Alvarez’s agent that the deal is off,” the BILD journalist wrote.
“Ajax is also informed now because Terzic has decided that Salih Ozcan and Emre Can are enough for this position.
“So they’ll save money and have more left over for the Nmecha deal. Of course, this now means that West Ham have a free run at trying to sign Alvarez.”
Where this leaves the holding midfielder for the time being remains unclear, though one might reasonably suspect the Hammers will investigate the option once Declan Rice likely departs the club in the current window.
Sky Sports report that Arsenal have sent off a £105m bid to the club, which will surely prove difficult to ignore in light of the Englishman’s contract expiring in 2024.
West Ham could sign an all-rounder
Though it’s always worth taking comparative statistical analysis with a pinch of salt at times – especially where there’s a quality difference between leagues – Alvarez’s numbers may very well excite West Ham fans.
The Mexican appears an even more reliable user of the ball in possession than his English counterpart, ranking in the 95th percentile for pass completion percentage (compared to Rice’s 81st percentile ranking), according to FBref.
Interestingly, the Eredivisie star also contributes to attacking phases of play, with applaudable numbers in the non-penalty xG (82nd percentile) and expected assists (81st percentile).
It will be interesting to see how the holding midfielder adapts to the demands of top-flight English football, though the early signs indicate that David Moyes and Co. would be getting something of an all-rounder in the window.