West Ham could step up their interest in a new midfielder following the latest news surrounding Edson Alvarez, it has been revealed.
Alvarez suffers Mexico blow
After a strong debut season in the Premier League, Edson Alvarez's Copa America dreams went up in smoke over the weekend. The Mexico skipper was forced off the pitch in tears after half an hour of their clash with Jamaica, which his side went on to win 1-0.
He appeared to have suffered a serious hamstring injury and his tournament is most likely over. He may have already done enough to earn a summer move away from Julen Lopetegui's side though, with Manchester United reportedly keen on adding him to their ranks in a move that would see him reunite with former boss Erik ten Hag, who coached him at Ajax.
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Quizzed on the links, Alvarez did little to play them down: “I can only tell you that I’m focused on what I have to do. I know that the Copa America is a very important tournament where the eyes of the world are basically there. Later, there will be time to see what there is or what there isn’t."
Were he to leave, he would leave a hole in the West Ham engine room, but it appears that they have already identified his replacement in that case.
West Ham eye Alvarez alternative
That comes with West Ham named as one of the sides chasing Watford midfielder Ismael Kone, who is set to star at Copa America with Canada.
Kone made 42 appearances for the Hornets last season, grabbing four goals and three assists, and a strong tournament with Canada could put him firmly in the shop window despite still having three years left to run on his £15,000 a week deal at Vicarage Road. He drew strong praise from former Watford boss Slaven Bilic back in 2023 after an impressive debut.
"He’s young and has a lot of potential. Today he showed me that he can also make an impact on the quality of our game straight away", Bilic explained.
“He looks an athlete and he’s good on the ball. Out of possession there are some positioning things we’ll help him learn. When he’s challenging a player he is aggressive and has strength. He was very, very good, in both phases of the game.”
Now, he could be on the move with the reliable ExWHUemployee explaining that West Ham were one of several suitors chasing the 22-year-old, and that the chase could speed up if Alvarez cannot play through injury or transfer away.
“I can confirm that West Ham do have an interest in Watford player Ismael Kone,” Ex said over the weekend “The injury to Edson Alvarez could encourage West Ham to speed up their interest in the player and make a move sooner than planned."
Presumably, the same can be said were Alvarez to depart the club on a permanent basis this summer amid ongoing speculation, with Kone seen as the natural replacement for the Mexican midfielder.
While West Ham fans will be hoping that he stays at the London Stadium this summer, hearing that the club have a succession plan in mind is a welcome change to some of the more recent scattergun transfer policies in east London.