West Ham United are having a satisfactory if not yet another impressive season in the Premier League. However, they had their fair share of struggles at the start of the season which makes their current standings look even more impressive.
After winning the UEFA Europa Conference League last season, David Moyes was dealt a difficult hand for the new season when Declan Rice left the Hammers for Arsenal in the summer. A key player, West Ham struggled initially to conjure any kind of consistency and found themselves mid-table.
The 26 year-old Mexican was signed by the London club for a paltry fee of 38 million euros from Ajax as a replacement for the outgoing Declan Rice. As a summer arrival, he didn’t exactly hit the ground running for Moyes.
Fast forward today, Alvarez has risen to a cult status at the club. The first name on the team sheet.
The defensive midfielder has now emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League. Initially struggling to make his mark, it now seems the summer arrival has won over the West Ham fans. It’s even fair to say, he has conquered their hearts.
So much so, that the London Stadium faithful have penned a new chant for the El Tri (as the Mexican National Team are fondly called) midfielder. The chant caught fire during West Ham’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
In the song of praise, inspired by the staple Latin American “Ole, Ole, Ole” football chant for players, the West Ham fans were tuning and dancing in unison to “Edson Ole, Ole, Ole’. They also called him a ‘Midfield Maestro, from Mexico’’ during their chant, which in all fairness is deservedly accrued to his stellar performances lately, even against Liverpool.
The Hammer fans can’t stop singing about the Mexican online either, with some calling him the best midfielder there is in CONCACAF or the Americas. They even acknowledge the impact he has had on the team where he was struggling to make any at first.
Alvarez has seemed to really capture the support of the West Ham supporters. They even have come up with a new nickname for the midfielder. Among the fanbase, it’s not just Edson Alvarez anymore, it’s Edson ‘El Machin’ Alvarez. It is a tribute to his tremendous bouts of energy and sustained intensity on the field and his ‘heart on his sleeve’ maneuver.
The support for the midfielder is also gaining recognition across Europe and is being reciprocated by the Mexican fans as well. Fans back home in Mexico are simply happy to see their player receive so much love and support from the fans of a club playing in one of the best and toughest leagues in the world.
A song of confidence and a badge of a nickname, Edson Alvarez seemed to be moved by this gesture and reacted on social media to convey his gratitude. While this fanfare might seem grand-ish to some, Alvarez has really impressed in the Premier League this season.
Not to forget his failed transfer to Bayern before his eventual move to West Ham was simply an indication of his high stocks in the transfer market. An appreciated player, Edson might be on the plane to a big club in the summer, but for West Ham fans, he is already a revered figure and would love for him to continue in the same vein.
