“The plane was waiting”- Current West Ham star recalls missing out on Chelsea transfer last summer

Edson Alvarez says he almost came close to joining Chelsea

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez opened up about his almost-move to Cheslea and revealed he was on the verge of joining the Blues before the Hammers came in and signed the midfielder for £35 million from Ajax.

The midfield player had been watched by Chelsea for some time, and the Blues were prepared to make an offer for him. In fact, the player was on the verge of joining the Blues when Ajax intervened. After that, West Ham made an attempt to convince the midfield player to leave Ajax.

Since his move to West Ham, the 26-year-old has instantly become a key player and was given a big role to fill in for Declan Rice, who left for Arsenal. Meanwhile, the Blues went on to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia last summer.

During a candid talk with Caliente TV, Alvarez explained his time in England and how he took time to settle into the league, and he also revealed his close move to Chelsea via Football.London:

“In year three [at Ajax], I had to go to Chelsea; the plane was waiting for me at the airport, and then Ajax told me, ‘You know what? You’re not going’.”

Had Chelsea managed to sign Alvarez, things would have been different for him. then the Blues might have not moved for Caicedo during the last summer transfer window. Player signings are always tough because, even when things are going well and the player is on the verge of joining the club, a small issue in detail can jeopardise everything.

Chelsea were close to signing Alvarez as they needed a defensive midfielder for last season, and despite their efforts, the Blues changed their target and pushed for the signing of Moises Caicedo. The club broke the British transfer record to sign the Ecuadorian midfielder.

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Meanwhile, Alvarez was signed to replace Rice at the Hammers. Though he seemed to have settled very well, succeeding Rice is certainly a big task, as he was one of the top midfielders for the Hammers.