The sly swap deal that could see West Ham welcome a familiar face back to the Premier League
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West Ham United’s 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday certainly felt like something of a turning point, or at least a moment when some of the cobwebs coating Julen Lopetegui’s creaking, struggling team got blown off to reveal something still perfectly functional beneath – but one win won’t reduce the temptation to make some changes in the January transfer window, especially with several players underperforming.
Sport Witness have picked up on reports from Italy that suggest that technical director Tim Steidten and his team could be exploring a possible swap deal that would send one slightly underwhelming player to Serie A and see a familiar face come the other way – or, perhaps, more accurately, it suggests that AC Milan are the ones exploring the deal and that it’s West Ham that will have to choose whether or not to accept.
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Hide AdThe deal in question would see Mexico international midfielder Edson Álvarez leave the London Stadium, less than two seasons after signing from Ajax for a reported £35m, with former England and Chelsea man Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming the other way. Something of a forgotten man in English football, the 28-year-old has been performing well enough at the San Siro but isn’t seen as a clean fit for new head coach Paulo Fonseca’s system, hence the possibility that his club look to move him on.
Álvarez got off to a rock solid start at West Ham but hasn’t hit the high notes so far this season. Used as a defensive midfielder in front of the back four, usually as part of a double pivot, he has lacked the dynamism to help get the ball forward with regularity while also failing to offer first-rate protection for the defence. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t necessarily looked like a £35m of player late either.
With summer signing Guido Rodríguez and the ever-reliable warhorse Tomáš Souček arguably ahead of him in Lopetegui’s pecking order right now (Álvarez was left out of the starting side against Ipswich), the Mexican may be seen as dispensable, especially if there’s a chance to turn him into hard cash that can be spent elsewhere – or, as the case may be, cash plus a player. Sport Witness’ article doesn’t claim to have any of the hard numbers that could be involved in such a deal, but it wouldn’t be a straight swap given the players’ relative values.
Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, would be an interesting choice of replacement. For starters, he isn’t a natural holding midfielder in the same way that Álvarez is – he’s more of a pressing, ball-winning midfielder who operates further and often wider upfield. Despite that, his defensive numbers for the season are all but identical to Álvarez’s, with very similar numbers for tackles, turnovers, clearances and interceptions. On current form, Loftus-Cheek may be just as effective a screen for the defence, just one that operate further forward and in a more pro-active manner.
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Hide AdOf course, if you’re going to play with a more attacking option, then you want to see some returns on that side of the ball as well. Loftus-Cheek scored six and assisted one in Serie A last season but hasn’t registered a goal contribution yet, which is probably a strike against making such a deal with AC Milan. That said, his passing range and accuracy has been very high in Italy, and he’s still generated more expected goals and assists this season than the player he may end up being exchanged with.
Having spent years of his career hobbling in and out of the treatment room before continuing his recovery overseas, Loftus-Cheek has been somewhat forgotten – but he has been playing well for Milan and while he may not have become the truly elite player he once looked capable of being, he has proven that he is more than capable of being a role-player for a top-tier team. He wouldn’t transform West Ham, necessarily, but he could easily add combativity and efficiency. It’s worth noting that he has stayed largely fit and healthy for the past couple of seasons, as well.
The question is, firstly, whether AC Milan will actually open such negotiations – hard to say, given that this is a single-source story as it stands – and secondly what the finances would look like. There is certainly a point at which exchanging Álvarez for Loftus-Cheek plus some cash is simply good business.
It may be, of course, that Lopetegui doesn’t feel that the former Chelsea man would fit in his system any more easily that he has in Fonseca’s. Certainly Loftus-Cheek doesn’t have an obvious home in the 4-2-3-1 system that has been the Spanish head coach’s go-to in the early part of the Premier League season. Against Ipswich, however, they moved to a more progressive 4-1-4-1 line-up which pushed Souček up alongside Lucas Paquetá – if that’s the blueprint going forward, then Loftus-Cheek should fit in rather more neatly.
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Hide AdThis may just be a story which slides off the rumour mill and is never heard from again. It seems as though Álvarez isn’t Milan’s only option for the midfield role, anyway. But while it’s the kind of story that would probably not thrill West Ham fans at first glance, it may be an idea that’s worth exploring should the possibility actually come up. Loftus-Cheek has ultimately come good, and could help the Hammers to become the more aggressive and forward-thinking side that they may need to be to achieve as much as they’re capable of.
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