Ajax have confirmed the financial figures of the Edson Alvarez deal with £32.8m up front with £2.6m in add-ons, while Alvarez will wear the No 19 shirt at the London Stadium.
A statement on the Ajax website reads “Ajax and West Ham United FC have reached an agreement on the direct transfer of Edson Álvarez. The defensive midfielder’s contract in Amsterdam ran until June 30, 2025. Ajax and the English club agreed on a transfer fee of € 38 million. That amount can increase to € 41 million through variables.”
West Ham confirmed the signing yesterday at noon by saying when expressing their joy at landing the player.
Meanwhile the Hammers added on the official site: “West Ham United is delighted to announce the signing of Mexico international Edson Álvarez. The 25-year-old has joined the Hammers on a permanent contract until June 2028 for an undisclosed fee, after the Club fought off strong competition from other top European clubs to bring him to London Stadium. A strong and versatile midfielder, Álvarez moves to English football from Dutch club Ajax, where he won two Eredivisie titles, and less than a month after winning his second CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico. Capped 69 times by his country, Álvarez has extensive European experience with Ajax and is now looking forward to playing Premier League and UEFA Europa League football with West Ham.
The five-year contract is worth £100,000 per week to the 25-year-old and not the £148,000 per week previously quoted in media reports .
Over five years Alvarez could pocket £26m bringing the total potential investment of this signing to £61.4m.
The Mexican international looks on the face of it a worthy addition to the Hammers squad and could well be joined over the next 48 hours by either Southampton’s James-Ward Prowse or Manchester United’s midfielder Scott McTominay.
It is understood that Alvaraz will be added to the squad for the weekend match and is very much in line to make his debut against Bournemouth.
I am quite excited by Alvarez, he doesn’t make as many interceptions or tackles on the ground as Rice but isn’t far behind and is better aerially, quicker over the ground and offers more goal threat from set plays, his pass completion ratio for all passes is better than Rice’s too whom I had always thought was pretty special in that department.