According to a recent story from The Shields Gazette, Newcastle United may face significant difficulties in obtaining Ajax’s Edson Alvarez.
The Mexican midfielder has continued to shine at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, attracting the attention of Premier League clubs Chelsea and Manchester United, who are planning to reinforce their rosters in the January transfer window.
Alvarez has had a fantastic start to the season at the Johan Cruyff Arena, putting up some strong performances at the heart of Ajax‘s midfield. This season, the 25-year-old has made 18 appearances for the Dutch club, scoring one goal and assisting on two occasions.
After averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, and 2.5 clearances per game in the Eredivisie, the Mexican wonder has been constant and reliable in the heart of the park. He has also been accurate with his ball distribution, completing 87.6% of his attempted passes in the top flight of Dutch football (data courtesy of whoscored).
Alvarez can get stuck in with some solid tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the center of the park. He can sense the danger quickly to clear his lines when he’s shielding the backline. The Mexican midfielder can make some crucial interceptions to earn the ball back for his team and start the counter-attack.
With a height of 1.87 meters and a robust body, he can easily overwhelm his opponents in the air and can hustle with them to recover the ball. Furthermore, he continues to be adept at passing possession to his teammates and producing crucial passes to generate a few decent chances in front of the goal.
We may expect Alvarez to improve the quality of Howe’s squad and provide competition to the midfield. So the Magpies would be wise to make a tempting offer with plenty of football for the 25-year-old in order to win his services, as Chelsea and Manchester United are both capable of spending a large quantity of money if they decide to sign him in January.
