Chelsea may still revisit a move for Ajax’s Mexican defensive midfielder, Edson Alvarez, though it could depend on how the club fares over the next couple of months.
What’s the word?
That is according to transfer insider Dean Jones who claims, via GIVEMESPORT, that Boehly and co have done a lot of thinking over the prospect of signing Alvarez, despite the fact that they launched a bid for the Mexican late in the transfer window just gone.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “Edson Alvarez was on their mind for a lot of the time, so we’ll have to wait and see how Chelsea fare in the next couple of months.”
Potter will love him
Quite simply, 24-year-old Alvarez would be a “perfect fit” at Chelsea, as pointed out by Nick Purewal on Twitter.
Having burst onto the scene with Club America, making 113 appearances in a three-year spell, Alvarez secured a move to Ajax in a switch that he has not looked back on.
At Ajax, the 55-cap Mexico international has asserted himself as one of the most proficient defensive midfielders in the current footballing landscape.
Alvarez is a complete string-puller in the Ajax engine room and offers stability both in and out of possession.
Averaging 59.21 passes completed, at a completion rate of 92%, Alvarez could offer Chelsea the stability that they need in possession, offering a composed presence in the central areas, and allowing for the creation of sustained attacking pressure.
With an average of 76.56 touches per 90, Alvarez is a dictator of the ball and would sit in the depths of the mid-third, offering defensive balance that enables teammates to confidently get forward, knowing that space is being occupied by the Mexico star.
Even if Graham Potter is to make use of the W-M formation that we saw him use at Brighton this season, Alvarez’s efficiency in-possession means he can shine as a box-to-box player, with his direct attacking threat evidenced by his five Eredivisie goals from last season.
Although Alvarez was identified as a target during Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea tutelage, the club should continue to track the Ajax-man as he would shine in a Potter set-up and would instantly bolster the midfield.
