Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Thu 9 April 2026 9:10, UK

West Ham United look set to begrudingly welcome Edson Alvarez back, forcing Nuno Espirito Santo to quickly decide whether he has a future at the club.

The midfielder secured an escape route from the London Stadium last summer after joining Fenerbahce on loan in a deal that contained an option to buy.

The clause was set at just shy of £20million, already £15m less than the amount the Hammers splashed out to snap him up from Ajax back in August 2023.

However, the 28-year-old has endured an underwhelming stint in Turkey, with a crippling knee injury sustained in February restricting him to just 10 starts.

As a result, Alvarez’s future is uncertain, with Fenerbahce unlikely to sign him for the long-term. But this will hand Nuno yet another transfer dilemma at the worst possible time.

Does Edson Alvarez have a future at West Ham?

Despite showing glimpses during his sporadic appearances on the Bosphorus, the Mexican is all but certain to return to West Ham at the end of the campaign, tail between his legs.

Fenerbahce explored lowering the fee to purchase Alvarez in November, but the Hammers turned down their attempts, with David Sullivan keen to recoup as much as possible.

This proved to be a mistake, with the ace then hamstrung by injury woes. He has missed over 100 days of action, making him too much of a gamble for the Super Lig giants.

While Alvarez is expected to belatedly return this month, it has been made clear that he should brace to head back to his parent club, where his future could be reevaluated.

His poor campaign led to speculation that he could return to Club America, with whom he began his career, but America Monumental have shot down these rumours.

That has reduced Alvarez’s options to effectively zero. He wants to continue his career in Europe, but first, he will have to find someone willing to take a punt on him.

Nuno Espirito Santo could have done without dilemma

As if Nuno doesn’t already have enough on his plate. Alongside plotting West Ham’s route to safety, he will also now need to take Alvarez’s situation into consideration.

That is because the midfielder would be a cost-effective option should the Hammers be relegated to the Championship, as he would prevent the need to sign a replacement.

Nuno clearly doesn’t fancy him, having not taken up the option to recall him in January, but he will have to get the most he can out of the resources available to him next term.

At present, Alvarez will be a West Ham player, so perhaps there is still time for him to finally make an impression in East London, however unlikely that currently seems.