Edson Alvarez | Potter Chooses Whether To Stick Or Twist

Whichever way it is viewed, a loan deal with Monaco makes no sense for Edson Alvarez this January.

The French side want Alvarez and seek to coax him away from London Stadium with a Tepid Loan Offer (fotballfancast.com).The only thing in its favour is the offer of Champions League football for the player, but there is zero attraction to West Ham. A sale could make sense, freeing up the cash to re-invest in a younger, faster more mobile figure if that is what Graham Potter chooses.

Apparently since Gonzo’s article yesterday Monaco have come back with a second offer.

However I suspect Graham Potter will ‘make do and mend’ this winter and focus on letting West Ham strengthen the side without delving too deeply into the ‘players going out’ file: Unless their name is Guido Rodriguez, there is little point in further weakening his options when the Hammers are already without strikers and back line defenders.

Remember, too, Alvarez has played over sixty times in his career as a centre-back and so will be providing cover for Todibo and Mavropanos in any case.

Alvarez under Moyes was a better option, more mobile and more controlled, so I’d expect Graham Potter to work his magic on the Mexican in the next few months to coax him back to his best.

Alvarez was often pictured receiving instructions from Potter during the Aston Villa game so it looks to me as if the coaching is already underway.

West Ham have more urgent needs this window than to further dilute the match day squad by the pointless loaning out of Alvarez: Expect his disciplinary record to improve and his focus to gradually sharpen over the coming weeks too as his fitness gets back to maximum after his summer injury.

Don’t underestimate the Lopetegui factor which was dragging down the whole bunch of ‘want-aways’: It’s an extra free gift from the “Potter bounce’. Whilst it is unlikely that ‘El Machin’ can go from zero back to hero in a few weeks, he has the potential, if he gets his head down, to revert to ‘adequate’ – which might have to suffice until the summer window.