Coincidence. That was the word Javier Aguirre reached for when a reporter put an awkward question to him ahead of Valencia’s home game with Athletic Club today. Marca carried his comments, Sport Witness relayed them, and West Ham fans suddenly have reason to pay attention.
Here’s the backdrop. Aguirre took charge at Valencia in September after Carlos Corberán left, and he knows one of West Ham’s midfielders inside out. Edson Álvarez played 23 times for Mexico under him, wearing the armband for most of them. Then came Tarek Sebiat, who represents Álvarez and Cruz Azul’s Erik Lira in Europe, meeting Valencia officials this week. Cue the January chatter.
Aguirre played it down, yet he admitted he meets sporting director Braulio daily and that reinforcements come up. “I can’t tell you, but there have been meetings,” he said. Record’s Carlos Ponce de León went further on X, claiming Sebiat’s visit was routine, with similar catch-ups at Villarreal and Osasuna.
So where does that leave Álvarez? Not in a happy place. He has made one appearance this season, in the EFL Cup win over Port Vale on 8 August. Nuno hasn’t picked him in the squad since, and Rafael Márquez left him out of Mexico’s last camp.
Should West Ham sell him in January?
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Edson Alvarez of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and West Ham United FC at Old Trafford on May 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Yes, if the price is right.
Álvarez is 28, a ball-winning midfielder who snaps into tackles, reads danger early, wins his aerial duels and can slot in at centre-half when asked. The Hammers paid Ajax roughly £34 million for him in 2023, and the standards have slipped since.
Nuno wants a compact, disciplined side, and a screening midfielder sits at the heart of that. Álvarez does the job on paper. Yet he’s barely near the matchday squad, which tells you exactly where Nuno stands. Leaving a 28-year-old international on the sidelines wastes wages and shrinks his value.
Would Valencia suit him? Aguirre loves organised, hard-tackling midfielders and trusts Álvarez, so the match looks natural. Los Ches have endured a rough season and need steel in front of the defence, and a leader like him would help.
The problem is that reported World Cup row. Álvarez reportedly wanted a film crew to follow him, Aguirre refused, and his staff weren’t pleased. If that grudge lingers, the link dies quickly. A clean sale in January would still help West Ham‘s Championship budget, though.