There is a reason why Eredivisie signings tend to have a bit of a bad rep in the Premier League, even if the success of Mohammed Kudus at West Ham United proves not all are doomed to fail.
Kudus, while not quite at the level of Luis Suarez or Ruud Van Nistelrooy, has certainly lived up to his £38 million price-tag two years on from his switch from Amsterdam to London.
West Ham could yet make a colossal profit on Kudus too, with Saudi Arabia calling and a £125 million release clause threatening to test the depth of even Al-Nassr’s cavernous pockets.
On the other hand, though, Edson Alvarez appears in danger of being lumped in – OK, not with Afonso Alves or Mateja Kezman – but with maybe the likes of Hakim Ziyech. Yes, the Mexico international has had his moments, like Ziyech at Chelsea.
But, arriving in the same summer West Ham United signed Kudus as well, one former Ajax ace has comfortably outperformed the other on the Premier League stage.
Edson Alvarez explains West Ham struggles after Ajax exit
Edson Alvarez hopes to stay in English football this summer, whether that be with West Ham or potentially down the road at Stamford Bridge. Long-time admirers Chelsea are reportedly keen to sign the two-time Eredivisie champion, three years after failing with a bid worth £42 million.
Now, if Chelsea were willing to stump up the same sort of fee again, it’s fair to say large swathes of the West Ham faithful would have few complaints if an offer was accepted.
A £42 million Trojan horse, filled to the brim with chuckling Hammers fans.
Micah Richards for instance, speaking following October’s highly-fortunate 2-1 win over Manchester United, could not help feeling that Edson Alvarez lacks the ‘athleticism’ required in the Premier League.
His reckless red card a few weeks later against Nottingham Forest – Alvarez issued a grovelling apology soon after – rather epitomised the direction of travel for a man who, by his own admission, has found the pace of his current home hard to handle.
“For me, the change was very big, from playing in the Eredivisie to coming to the Premier League,” Alvarez says in conversation with the Mexican media. “Obviously, I can tell you that I learned a lot at Ajax, but I would arrive in the most competitive league in the world.
“It’s very important knowing how to play but the physical fitness you have is more important. It was hard for me. A lot of back and forth.
“It was a little hard for me to get into that very, very complicated rhythm.”
Ajax dominated the Eredivisie scene under Erik ten Hag during much of Alvarez’s four-year spell at the Johan Cruyff Arena. In a team used to controlling possession – 66 per cent on average in the 2022/23 season – Alvarez had relatively little ground to cover.
The same cannot be said at West Ham, with the more back-to-front nature of Premier League football exposing his physical limitations.
“I’m not perfect,” Alvarez admits. “I’m not an outstanding player but I know I still have a lot of room for improvement and I still feel capable of [getting better]. I mean, I feel like this is not my ceiling.”
Alvarez opens up on injury issues to dispel Graham Potter rumours
Alvarez has also struggled to adapt to the gloomy English weather, while his recent injury issues haven’t helped.
It was felt initially that Graham Potter may have frozen Edson Alvarez out a few weeks back, only for the man himself to explain that a three-game absence was instead the result of a back issue from which he is now hoping to recover.
Alvarez made his first appearance in over a month off the bench during last week’s 2-0 win at Manchester United.
“It was a back problem that I’d been carrying for a few games,” he explains. “Then, I came to the conclusion with my coach that, since we were safe in the Premier League, it was also a bit of a matter of looking ahead to the national team [Mexico kick off their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign on June 15th].
“That’s why we made the decision to take a little time off, so I could recover properly from this back injury. I’m very happy to be getting playing time after almost a month off, and I’m looking forward to what’s next.
“It has been hard for me to miss my family, my country, missing the food, those kind of things. It is not nice at all to wake up, go out, see the weather and it is raining or it is minus-three degrees!
“I think that is what is most difficult [about England].”
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