Before joining West Ham, Edson Alvarez disclosed how close he was to signing with Chelsea.
In a £35 million deal last summer, the Mexican international moved from Ajax to the Hammers.
Alvarez did, however, nearly sign with Chelsea during the first transfer window under Todd Boehly’s ownership of the team a year earlier.
Alvarez disclosed that a jet was waiting for him at the airport prior to the agreement falling through in an interview with Caliente TV, as reported by the Mirror.
“You know what: you’re not going,” Ajax told me when I had to t
I am the one who is here and living it, whether or not other people believe it. It doesn’t matter to me. I had one hour till I boarded the plane to sign with Chelsea.
‘You’re not going,’ Ajax told me. You’re not going anywhere, so what now? You are not going to go.
ravel to Chelsea in my third year there. The jet was waiting for me at the airport.
After losing captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in a £100 million transfer, David Moyes’ team pushed in for Alvarez, meaning that Chelsea lost and West Ham gained.
He has made 35 appearances this season and has looked impressive at the center of West Ham’s midfield.
Agent Nathan van Kooperen said to ESPN about Alvarez’s possible transfer to Chelsea: “Chelsea were prepared to go very far.” Their goal was to bring him to Chelsea by whatever means necessary.
However, Ajax was not ready to comply because they did not have a replacement ready. They considered it to be crucial to qualify for the Champions League football.
