Edson Álvarez says it wasn’t easy for him to leave West Ham United for Fenerbahçe on loan in the summer window.
The midfielder spoke to Miroslava Montemayor on several topics, including his move to Turkey, and Fox Sports in Mexico have relayed his comments.
Graham Potter left the Mexico international out of core plans at West Ham this season and this saw him to make a switch to Fenerbahçe last month.
The 27-year-old, who joined the Hammers from Ajax in 2023, explains he thought about himself when finally decided to leave the Premier League club and received support from his family and loved ones.
“Obviously, it was a very difficult decision knowing I was leaving the Premier League. In the end, I made the decision primarily for myself, because at the end of the day, this is my career, it’s my story,” he said.
“Supported by my family, which I think is the most important thing. If you have the support of your family, your friends, your close people, well, I think it makes it even easier.”
The former Ajax man completed a loan move to Istanbul club on August 23rd, when José Mourinho was in charge of the club, and less than a week later, they parted ways with the former Chelsea manager.
This meant the Mexican didn’t play under Mourinho, who was instrumental in his transfer to Fenerbahçe. The West Ham man is disappointed with his exit but is aware that he has to accept the club’s decision to replace the Portuguese coach with Domenico Tedesco.
“Obviously, and it’s no secret, because it was said everywhere that a large part of my decision was because of him [Mourinho], because I had a lot of contact with him before going to Fenerbahçe; he was a key factor,” Álvarez explained.
“But I also considered all possible scenarios. I knew the risks involved; I even had many conversations with the sporting director.
“Obviously, when they give you the news, it’s not pleasant to hear, but well, I’m not going to stay and cry. I’m already there; I think you’ve seen that. We have a very competitive team. I got there because of the manager, but also because of the board, who wanted me.”
Earlier this month, Álvarez picked up an injury while in action with the national team and is waiting for the tests results to find out how long he’ll have to spend on the sidelines.