Edson Alvarez left Fenerbahce stunned with an all-timer on his debut after leaving West Ham having failed to impress Graham Potter.
When West Ham shipped Edson Alvarez out on loan to Fenerbahce it was a clear sign Graham Potter was about to rebuild his midfield.
The middle of the park has been a problem for the Hammers ever since generational talent Declan Rice left the club over two years ago.
It was clear West Ham were always going to struggle to replace Rice like-for-like – or anything close for that matter.
But the Irons really dropped the ball, failing to bring in signings who possessed the same attributes such as pace, energy and power.
Thanks to David Moyes, Tim Steidten, Julen Lopetegui and the club’s owners, the West Ham midfield was slow, immobile, weak and lacking in athleticism and guile.
Eyebrows raised over Potter’s decision to loan out Alvarez
Alvarez was part of that problem. Signed from Ajax for £34m, his first few months at West Ham were promising.
Flying into tackles and composed on the ball, he put in some impressive displays and looked like a potential leader.
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But Alvarez’s form, like that of the team, dipped from 2024 onwards and he has never been the same since.
Moyes publicly criticised Alvarez’s lack of fitness to last 90 minutes in the Premier League and called for him to improve his discipline with yellow cards a regular occurrence.
Alvarez lost his place towards the end of Moyes’ tenure.
He failed to impress Lopetegui too, with claims the pair did not get along supported by the fact they blanked one another when Alvarez was sent off twice in as many weeks last season.
It was alleged Alvarez was one of five Hammers stars who went to the owners via Steidten threatening to leave unless Lopetegui was sacked.
West Ham head coach Graham Potter talks to midfielder Edson Alvarez
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
When Graham Potter came in, it looked like Alvarez might become a key player as he was the manager’s go-to man to discuss tactics on the sideline in the early days.
But it did not stay that way for long. With West Ham struggling to get results for Potter, the pair reportedly had a big falling out ahead of a game against Southampton towards the end of last season and Alvarez was not in the squad for three games.
He sent a post on social media after the Hammers drew 1-1 with the Saints which appeared to be a dig at Potter.
Alvarez sent another cryptic West Ham post on social media immediately after he was an unused sub for the season-opening 3-0 defeat to Sunderland, suggesting God has a better plan for him.
That plan was to join Jose Mourinho at Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Given West Ham’s lack of quality in midfield at the time, some fans were left baffled that the manager sanctioned Alvarez’s departure.
Especially with James Ward-Prowse starting every game in midfield.
Alvarez has an all-timer for Fenerbahce after West Ham exit
But it is fair to say Potter made the right call.
Because Alvarez has had an all-timer for Fenerbahce after his West Ham exit and it’s hard to watch.
The Mexican’s fortunes in his first two weeks at the club have been difficult for many Hammers supporters to watch.
When Alvarez was leaving east London, he reportedly had a number of clubs to choose from.
Notably all offers were for loans, highlighting the lack of belief in his abilities for clubs to pay a fee to take the 27-year-old on permanently.
Hammers News previously revealed West Ham were so desperate to get Alvarez off the books they laid on a private jet for him and his entourage to fly to Turkey and complete the deal.
Alvarez angered West Ham when he hesitated and failed to board the flight.
But he eventually completed the season-long loan with option to buy.
And two of the big reasons Alvarez eventually chose Fenerbahce were to work with Jose Mourinho and play Champions League football.
When Alvarez sent West Ham a classy farewell, he had many fans rooting for him.
But within days of his arrival in Turkey, Alvarez’s move has been nothing short of an all-timer of a disaster when it comes to joining a new club.
Edson Alvarez struggles on his debut for Fenerbahce against Genclerbirligi in the Turkish Super Lig
Photo by Ismail Kaplan/Anadolu via Getty Images
First Fener crashed out of the Champions League by losing the qualifier to Benfica over two legs.
Then Mourinho, the man who pushed to bring the Hammer to the club, was sacked by Fenerbahce after just over a year in charge.
Then came Alvarez’s debut for Fenerbahce.
While many Hammers supporters won’t be overly surprised by the performance given his displays in claret and blue over the last season-and-a-half, it was dire even by those standards.
Footage of Alvarez’s debut has been circulating on social media.
Alvarez nightmare is hard to watch for some Hammers fans
Football statistic sites averages his performance at a dismal 5.2/10 and it is easy to see why.
Video shows Alvarez mistiming and even completely missing tackles, giving the ball away from simple five yard passes, over-hitting several long balls out of play or straight to the opposition.
His lack of pace and athleticism is also exposed, which will concern Fenerbahce given many believed the inferior level of Turkish football might allow Alvarez to shine.
Fenerbahce did win the game against Genclerbirligi 3-1 with a brace from longstanding West Ham target Youssef En-Nesyri.
But it is hard to watch the footage and not feel sorry for Alvarez, especially after he made special mention of West Ham’s fans in his farewell message.
It shows Potter has made the right call on the Mexico skipper.
Especially as it came on the same day his replacement at West Ham, Mateus Fernandes, put in a brilliant performance on his debut as the Hammers pulled off a stunning 3-0 win at Forest.