West Ham United: David Moyes cannot waste time on Joao Palhinha deal, £35m Edson Alvarez opportunity lies in wait
West Ham United are set to make a second bid for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, but David Moyes must only push for a new bid if he is confident of sealing the deal.
Taking to his personal Twitter account (20 July), talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook reported that the Hammers are preparing to make a new offer for the Portugal international imminently as they kick off their plans to replace Declan Rice who left to join Arsenal in a £105m deal.
West Ham had a £40m bid for the 28-year-old rejected on 17 July, but are now set to return with a new and improved offer with Fulham demanding a big-money offer of around £60m-plus to consider selling the Portuguese international.
With West Ham United now holding a considerable war chest available following the departure of Rice over the weekend, they now have plenty of wiggle room in the transfer market.
Palhinha seems to have emerged as the prime target to replace Rice after the fantastic season he had in the Premier League with Fulham last time out.
The £40m bid placed for Palhinha was always going to be rejected given his undeniable qualities and importance to the Cottagers, and their lofty demands for the Portuguese are perfectly understandable but it remains to be seen if the Hammers would be willing to go that high for him.
With the start of the Premier League season just a small number of weeks away now, the Hammers are still yet to secure their ideal man to replace Rice and there’s a case to argue that they’ll need two midfielders through the door at the London Stadium.
It’s clear to see why Palhinha is the clear favourite, but Moyes cannot afford to waste time negotiating for the Portuguese international if West Ham United aren’t confident they will secure his services.
Certainly, the club have plenty of money to spend after Rice’s sale but they’ve got to spend it wisely. There is another more attainable and available target lying in wait, that could allow the Irons more room to strengthen in other areas as well as potentially buying another midfielder.
And that man is Ajax’s midfield maestro Edson Alvarez.
The Athletic journalist Ornstein taking to his personal Twitter account (14 July) reported that the Dutch giants want between £35m to £40m to consider selling the Mexican international with West Ham making contact to sign him.
One of these two players are an absolute must transfers as they possess almost like-for-like defensive midfield capabilities as Rice, a player dominant in the lone number six role not just his defensive actions but progressive and influential in possession of the ball.
Ajax’s Alvarez is a superb bet and at £35m-£40m represents a superb bargain opportunity.
As per FBRef, over the past year and within Europe’s top-five leagues, Alvarez impressively ranks in the 91st percentile for progressive passes, 93rd for progressive carries and ranked fourth in the Eredivisie last season for the number of dribbles tackled (44) showcasing his destructive and influential qualities in midfield.
At 25 years of age, with great international and European experience, the Mexican midfield machine wouldn’t need any considerable time to adjust to the rigours and pace of the Premier League as he is already impressively built for it.
Given the class of defensive midfielders ready to take the stage in the English top flight next season, Alvarez will be instantly amongst that prestigious list should he make the move to East London ensuring West Ham United aren’t losing out should they move on from Palhinha.
And given the amount of time left to ensure they’re ready for the new season, a swift £35m deal for Alvarez seems the more sensible and plausible bet.
In other West Ham news, one striker may be set to leave the club after a recent transfer twist.