Members of the media have been lavishing praise on West Ham United summer signing Edson Alvarez for his display in their 2-1 win over Luton Town on Friday night.
Luton Town 1-2 West Ham
David Moyes and the Hammers continued their fine start to the new Premier League campaign with victory at Kenilworth Road, all while the madness of transfer deadline day was drawing to a close.
West Ham didn’t manage to get any last minute deals over the line during their encounter, with Moyes having to settle for the summer signings of Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus.
On the pitch, though, Moyes oversaw a solid win to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season and one which carries West Ham to the English top flight summit.
A first half goal from Jarrod Bowen got the Hammers up and running with defender Kurt Zouma later securing all three points in the 85th minute.
Luton grabbed a late goal back but it wasn’t enough to upset the travelling West Ham, and Moyes reserved special praise for his side after the encounter.
“Good against a tough team who are going to put teams under a lot of pressure. Overall I think we did a brilliant job tonight.
“It’s not easy to come here and we were under loads of pressure. Thankfully we stood up to it, got a couple of goals and played pretty well ourselves.”
Alvarez, who played a key role in the build up to West Ham’s first goal courtesy of Bowen, has been praised by members of the media for his performance.
The Mexico international joined from Ajax early in the summer window for around £35.4 million, and it appears he is already justifying his price tag.
“Alvarez looks fantastic for West Ham. Surprised Ten Hag didn’t fancy him.” said YouTuber and United Stand presenter Mark Goldbridge.
Meanwhile, former West Ham writer turned BBC cricket journalist Jonty Colman also had this to say on Alvarez:
“Sensational assist from Lucas Paqueta for Jarrod Bowen’s goal. Edson Alvarez deserves so much praise for how he orchestrated that move, looking to be a very shrewd signing.”
Members of the press from Alvarez’s homeland, like Liga MX writer Roberto Haz, even claimed “everyone is amazed” by the 25-year-old.
“What Edson Álvarez is playing in the Premier League, everyone is amazed with the Mexican,” wrote Haz.
“What a nice play by Machín making a double wall, combining with Lucas Paquetá and participating in West Ham’s goal.”
How good is Edson Alvarez?
The North American has played in all but one top flight match for West Ham so far, ranking second in their side for clearances made per 90, just behind defender Kurt Zouma (WhoScored).
Alvarez, according to WhoScored, stands out among West Ham’s top 10 players of the new campaign so far.
The departure of star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105 million was a potential worry for Moyes on the field, but Alvarez’s consistent displays so far have done wonders to succeed the Englishman.