A cryptic social media post from a West Ham outcast has once again proved unhelpful, underlining exactly why Graham Potter wants him out of the club.
David Moyes made it his top priority to foster a good team spirit at West Ham when he returned for what would be an unforgettable second spell in east London.
It is the reason the Scot would often spend so long – too long for some fans’ liking – agonising over signings as he carried out the due diligence he felt was necessary to assess the type of characters and personalities potentially coming into the West Ham dressing room.
Moyes once said he had his own version of the ‘no d—heads’ policy made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks.
Potter pushing to restore Moyes ideals at West Ham
That attention to detail served West Ham well for his four-and-a-half years in charge as the Hammers were united in a period of rare serenity in the club’s recent history.
It is fair to say that has completely fallen apart since, starting on Moyes’ watch once it became clear he would not be staying at the club.
Graham Potter has made it his top priority since taking the reins, talking at length about the need to be ‘united, together, aligned’ and ‘like a family’.
A strong bond and team spirit only gets you so far of course.
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Quality players are needed at Premier League level regardless of how well the players and staff get on at any club.
West Ham were exposed on both fronts in the season-opener at Sunderland.
Graham Potter and Niclas Fullkrug after Sunderland v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
There is a distinct lack of quality, power and pace throughout the team which can only be solved with new signings in what remains of the summer transfer window.
But the remnants of a disjointed West Ham dressing room which rolls over at the first sign of adversity was always there for all to see.
The fact many barely batted an eyelid at false claims police had been called to the West Ham dressing room after the 3-0 defeat to Sunderland sums up how toxic things have been at the club over the last couple of years.
Julen Lopetegui had a series of bust-ups with players. Former technical director Tim Steidten had run-ins with both Moyes and Lopetegui before being sacked after Potter’s appointment.
West Ham outcast Alvarez’s latest unhelpful cryptic post
Mild-mannered Potter has also had problems with a number of players, going on record just last week saying the dressing room was very divided when he came in and was a “low trust environment”.
One of those players is reportedly Edson Alvarez.
The last thing Potter needed after the defeat to Sunderland was certain players breaking ranks when the head coach has been preaching togetherness and unity.
But that’s exactly what appears to have happened.
West Ham outcast Alvarez’s latest unhelpful cryptic post shows exactly why Potter wants him out.
And it must be the Mexican’s last act as a Hammers player because West Ham’s very survival this season depends on it.
Edson Alvarez getting off the West Ham team coach at Sunderland
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Alvarez had a decent first three or four months at West Ham when he arrived from Ajax in a £34m deal back in 2023.
He has been one of the club’s worst performers and – by all accounts – most disruptive influences in the dressing room since.
Alvarez fell out of favour with Moyes towards the end of his tenure and was publicly criticised by the Scot for his lack of discipline and fitness.
Lopetegui and Alvarez did not see eye-to-eye either.
The Mexico captain was openly dissenting towards the Spaniard when substituted on occasion and the pair blanked one another when Alvarez was brainlessly sent off twice in close succession last season.
Towards the end of last season it was reported that Alvarez pulled out of the Southampton game after a disagreement with Potter.
Immediately after that game – which the Hammers drew 1-1 prompting an angry outburst from Niclas Fullkrug – Alvarez sent a cryptic post on social media which suggested cracks were appearing in his relationship with Potter.
A leak from a source close to the club’s owners went on to claim Alvarez had a fall-out out with Potter as he withdrew from the Southampton game citing he had a bad back.
Alvarez shows why Potter wants him out of West Ham
The midfielder, who has struggled to adapt to the pace and power needed for the English game, was named on the bench when he returned to West Ham’s squad three games later at Man United.
Alvarez was singled out as West Ham’s biggest problem by pundits on Match of the Day last season.
He has persistently talked up a move away from West Ham, almost from the moment he arrived – including this summer.
Alvarez has been linked with moves to Milan and Ajax and selling him for a decent fee could be key to Potter having the funds needed to overhaul his troublesome midfield.
That will be the difference between West Ham remaining in the Premier League this season or not.
After being left on the bench for the defeat at the Stadium of Light, Alvarez once again spoke out on social media with a cryptic post.
“God’s plans are perfect, even if you don’t understand them today,” Alvarez said on Instagram Stories alongside a picture of himself in his West Ham sub’s top.
Where is the encouragement for his teammates as a senior leader in the dressing room?
Instead Alvarez is dropping yet another mysterious and selfish post hinting that Potter’s decision to snub him makes no sense.
Suggesting God must have something better in store for him after the final whistle on his team’s disastrous opening day drubbing is not on.
It looks like West Ham don’t just need Alvarez out for the money, they need him out for the good of the dressing room.