Edson Alvarez was rejected as a youth for being too small but the Mexican has grown into a 6ft 2in defensive titan - and the stats show West Ham-bound midfielder shares many similarities with Declan Rice

Edson Alvarez is set to be announced as West Ham’s first signing of the summer as the 25-year-old midfielder flies into London to finalise the move.

The agreed fee with Ajax is £32million plus £3m in add-ons, alongside wages of £100,000 per week.

And the deal will be confirmed following his medical.

Though this will go down as the first signing of West Ham’s new technical director Tim Steidten, Alvarez was identified as a target before his arrival.

Sporting director Mark Noble was heavily involved in the transfer from the start and here, Mail Sport tells you all about Alvarez.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

Born in Tlalnepantla de Baz, Mexico, it is said he worked for the Alvarez family business producing football shirts for local sides. Yet one of those teams in Club de Futbol Pachuca apparently decided he was too small to be a footballer after he tried out for their youth.

Like Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and more who were told the same in their childhood, Alvarez did not let that stop him. He was a naturally aggressive player and after a trial for Club America, he finally found his route into football. Following success in their youth sides, he went on to appear 86 times in Mexico’s Liga MX for the first team.

That won him a £14m move to Ajax in 2019. They signed him as a potential replacement with Matthijs de Ligt leaving for Juventus. For club and country, Alvarez played as a centre back and occasionally at a right back before finding his favourite position in central midfield.

It was primarily in the central area of the pitch that he made 98 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie with Ajax, having grown to reach 6ft 2in in height after being deemed too short in his youth. Now he is set for West Ham.

HOW WILL HE FIT IN?

Alvarez has spoken of his admiration for Manchester City in the past, saying he prefers it when football is played offensively. Ajax play front-foot football, remember, and only Dusan Tadic and Jurrien Timber have managed more minutes than Alvarez for the Dutch side in recent seasons.

Yet Alvarez is very much a defensive titan in midfield – someone who knows where to be and when and never shies from showing his physicality. There were only four Eredivisie matches last season in which he did not start. Ajax conceded eight goals in those games, winning only one of them.

Alvarez became Ajax's back bone as a prolific dueller, albeit a yellow card risk – no one picked up more cautions than his 10 last season.

West Ham manager David Moyes can be known for favouring a defensive approach in the Premier League and Alvarez will step into the midfield in Rice’s place. As the Hammers do not dominate possession like Ajax, Alvarez will get plenty more opportunities to win the ball.

ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES TO RICE?

There are. Rice showed his ability to win the ball and then take it forward for West Ham last season. He was the best at that in the Premier League, hence why Arsenal spent £105m to sign him.

Statistics show Alvarez is adept at pinching possession and progressing play, too. Only three players in the Eredivisie won the ball more than the Mexican last season. Opta tell us that in one game against Volendam, he recorded 21 recoveries – a new record for a Dutch top-flight fixture.

Not only that, no one in the Eredivisie managed more carries than Alvarez – defined as taking the ball forward at least five metres – and the stats also indicate that he is tidy in his passing.

Like Rice, therefore, he can win the ball, take it forward, and pick a pass. Add in the fact that Alvarez is a rarely-injured energetic player – that will be useful now that Premier League games are getting even longer thanks to extended stoppage times – and he will hopefully be useful to West Ham.

HOW WILL HE DO IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

Hard to say, as we all know the Premier League is tough to crack for newcomers. Lucas Paqueta took to it well last season and West Ham hope he will get even better with Alvarez doing the dirty work on his behalf.

Certainly, clubs other than West Ham have had faith in Alvarez’s ability. Chelsea bid £43m for him last year but Ajax turned down the offer, feeling they did not have time to find a replacement.

West Ham have now won him and hope he can lead them in life without Rice. With Moyes liking his team to be dangerous on set-pieces, Alvarez can help with that, with no player in the Eredivisie managing more headed attempts than him last season.

It was never going to be easy finding a replacement for Rice, but in Alvarez, West Ham seem to have done their homework.