David Moyes has raved about West Ham star Edson Alvarez for showing there is life after Declan Rice following his Arsenal defection.
When Declan Rice departed for Arsenal in the summer many fans, pundits and journalists feared the worst for West Ham.
It’s easy to see why given West Ham struggled in the Premier League last season with Rice in the side.
Rice was always going to make Arsenal stronger.
But his departure has had the same impact on the Hammers too.
Moyes raves about Alvarez
West Ham were able to use the money they received from Arsenal for their captain to greatly improve the overall team. And they did so expertly.
The Hammers brought in Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse with the bulk of the Rice windfall.
Each has had a major impact on a West Ham side challenging for the top six and in the last 16 of the Europa League once again.
But it is Mexican destroyer Alvarez who perhaps has the biggest influence over West Ham’s results, just as Rice did before him.
Now David Moyes has raved about West Ham star Alvarez for showing there is life after Rice.
Speaking in an interview with West Ham’s website, Moyes has admitted he was seriously worried about how the Hammers would cope when Rice left for Arsenal.
‘I was concerned after losing Dec’
But he says Alvarez has been brilliant as his replacement.
“Edson has made a great impact, he really has,” Moyes said.
“He’s settled in really well, I think when we were losing Declan Rice undoubtedly I was concerned because you’re losing one of the best players in the English Premier League at the moment. And he’s also someone who had a great influence, great boy around the place as everybody here knows.
“So Edson’s come in, he’s taken a little bit of time to adapt to the intensity and the amount of game time which meant he missed a couple of games. But overall his performances have been really good and we’ve been so pleased with him.”
Moyes is not the only one who has been waxing lyrical about El Machin this week.
Tim Steidten, West Ham’s technical director, says his signing Alvarez is now West Ham’s key player.
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