West Ham United were forced to sell their former club captain, Declan Rice. The Englishman is rated as one of the best midfielders in the world, and Arsenal spent a huge amount to bring him to North London. After leading the Hammers to the UEFA Conference League 2022–23 title, Rice decided to move on and join the Gunners. The Hammers were busy throughout the season trying to find a backup, and they finally bought someone who has a lot of experience.
Edson Alvarez was signed from Dutch giants Ajax. The Mexican international was on the radar of many clubs, but West Ham were able to bring him to London. An experienced campaigner with Ajax, Alvarez is a league winner and knows a lot about top-level football. Let’s take a look at what this midfield talent can add to this West Ham side.
Defensive Shield
Edson Alvarez is a defensive midfielder who can also play as a centre-back. The 25-year-old midfielder came to Europe in 2019 and joined Ajax. He played in almost 150 games for Ajax and won the Dutch Eredivisie twice.
The midfielder played in three major competitions for the Dutch giants. The above defensive territory is from the Eredivisie, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League. This shows that Alvarez covered a lot of ground for the team and managed to make a handful of interceptions for his side. He averaged 5.84 interceptions per 90 minutes. The midfielder also did the dirty work and averaged 0.33 yellow cards per 90.
Ball distribution
The 25-year-old knows how to rotate the ball. Alvarez likes to dictate the play and averaged 71 passes per 90 minutes. His accuracy rate was 91.1%. This shows his quality on the ball and his ability to hold possession. The Mexican international attempted 10 passes to the final third per 90, with some being long diagonals. West Ham have pace on the counters, and these passes create scoring chances for the team.
Edson Alvarez can also cause some threats with his runs into the danger zones. Last season, he averaged 2.83 progressive runs per 90 and this shows that the midfielder can also contribute to the attack. Alvarez scored four goals and provided two assists.
A new season in England
Edson Alvarez made his league debut against Chelsea. He played the last 17 minutes of the game that West Ham United won 3-1 at home. Alvarez started the next two games, and the Hammers registered back-to-back wins. This was followed by a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the last game. Edson’s role has been more defensive, and he has played more towards the left side. With Thomas Soucek on the team, Moyes plays with two holding players.
The above viz compares the stats of Edson Alvarez and Declan Rice from the English Premier League 2023–24 season. Rice is getting more opportunities to run forward at Arsenal, and he has a way better percentile rank in the attacking stats. Alvarez edges the former Hammer in defensive stats. Rice has added a bit of attacking spark to his game in 2022–23. He is getting more chances at Arsenal to showcase his attacking skills, whereas Alvarez has a more defensive role in the team.
Edson Alvarez was on the transfer radar of a few clubs, but West Ham were able to land him in London. The player has started on a positive note for his new team. He will also make his European debut for the Hammers, as they qualified for the UEFA Europa League. West Ham United have huge ambitions, and this signing could help them win titles.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
