Declan Rice’s transfer talks have been red hot since the day it has come to news that the Englishman will leave West Ham this summer. The 24-year-old is continuously monitored by the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Either of the three will surely go all in for the defensive midfielder with Thomas Tuchel’s side being the favorite.
Well, we now have an idea as to where the present captain of West Ham will go but who will take his place? West Ham have finally found a replacement for Declan Rice in Edson Alvarez. The Mexican international has been sensational for Ajax this season and may well finally come to Premier League after being followed by Chelsea last season. The Eredivisie powerhouse did not want to lose their two big names in Ryan Gravenberch and Alvarez thus the midfielder was not sold to the Blues.
Edson Alvarez was second best for Ajax this season according to WhoScored. He registered a WhoScored rating of 7.34 last season which is only second best to Dusan Tadic (7.75). Meanwhile, Ajax missed qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 14 years after not being able to finish the league in the top 2. Ajax’s exit from the league gives West Ham hope for a positive response from the Mexican.
Money won’t be an issue for West Ham who are going to sell Declan Rice for a fee of over 100 million pounds. Alvarez on the other hand is reported to cost around £30 million.
Where does Edson Alvarez stand against Declan Rice?
Let us study the stats of WhoScored in detail. Declan Rice registered a score of 7.01 as compared to 7.34 of Alvarez this season because of various factors. In terms of tackles: Alvarez has made 2.5 tackles per 90 minutes as compared to 2.2 of Rice.
The Mexican has outdone Rice in many aspects of passing as well. He has a pass success rate of 89% while the Englishman registers a success rate of 88% and has only completed 57 passes per game on average which is way beyond 83 passes per game of Alvarez.
Edson Alvarez does have an Achilles shoe here and there. The midfielder has been dribbled past 1 time per game on average which has taken the opponents twice the number of games to dribble past Rice. In the attacking sphere both look equally adept with Alvarez scoring 3 goals and assisting 3 this season and the latter scoring 4 and assisting 2 goals.
Does this mean West Ham will not miss Rice?
Of course, stats are important in football but lets not forget the team a player plays for. Perhaps the dominance of Ajax in Eredivisie is far more prominent than West Ham who were just saved from being relegated this season.
Alvarez is tailormade for the Premier League and may not take a long time to settle in the English conditions but to replace Declan Rice is one thing and to replace “Declan Rice of West Ham” is another.
Rice has been an intergral part of the Hammers and a fan favourite who used to thrive on their confidence. Alvarez will surely take time to gain the trust of London but is more than just capable of doing so.
