West Ham Outcast Eyes Winter Escape: Should Nuno Sanction A January Exit?

West Ham Outcast Eyes Winter Escape: Should Nuno Sanction A January Exit? A quiet Wednesday at a Spanish training ground. Two men, one table, and a conversation West Ham fans probably weren’t meant to hear about yet. According to AS , Edson Alvarez’s agent Tarek Sebiat sat down with Valencia sporting director Braulio Vazquez. The topic was a January move for a midfielder who stayed put while Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes left in the summer. Why Valencia make sense Javier Aguirre now runs the La Liga side, and he knows Alvarez well from their time together with Mexico. The report claims the 28-year-old wants out in the winter. He hasn’t played a competitive game since the Carabao Cup win over Portsmouth on 8 August, and no league matchday squad has included him. What Alvarez brings to the table Alvarez isn’t a bad player. Far from it. He’s a bruising ball-winner who played Champions League football at Ajax and has 103 caps for Mexico, plus World Cup minutes. Premier League, 59 games. Champions League, 23. Europa League, 21. Yet the queue ahead of him keeps growing. Mohamedou Kante and Lewis Orford have impressed, Arne Engels and Divine Mukasa arrived in the summer, and Tomas Soucek is fit again and scoring. Should Nuno let Alvarez leave West Ham in January? LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 24: Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez of West Ham United embrace after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and West Ham United FC at Selhurst Park on August 24, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images) I’d let him go, but on my terms. Kante and Orford earned their minutes because they’re hungry and they’ve picked up my system quickly. Alvarez is a different type, a proper holder who tackles hard, yet his passing under pressure drew criticism in the top flight. You can’t keep an expensive spare part on the bench. They told everyone the door isn’t shut, and they meant it. Training decides that. Still, only a midfield injury crisis opens it wide, and you can’t build a season around bad luck. Valencia changes things. Aguirre trusts him, and a happy Alvarez playing every week keeps more value than a sulking one in the stands. A loan with an option suits me best, because it clears wages and a squad place. I’d want cover first, though: a cheap, experienced body to shield the back four if Soucek or Engels get hurt. No cover, no exit until the window’s final week. Get that, and I’ll shake his hand.