Why Edson Alvarez would be a good utility signing for Wolves
Back in June 2019, a report from Birmingham Live claimed that Wolves had tabled an offer for Mexican star Edson Alvarez, who was plying his trade with Club America in his homeland back then. However, the Black Country outfit eventually lost out to Ajax in the race to sign the highly-rated prospect.
Profile
A youth exponent of Club America, Edson Alvarez made his first-team breakthrough for the Mexican giants as an exciting teenager during the 2016-17 season in the Liga MX. He went on to make 113 appearances for America in all competitions over the course of three campaigns, scoring 5 times in the process.
Alvarez’s burgeoning reputation as one of the hottest young talents in Mexico prompted Ajax to offer him a route to Europe in the summer of 2019. The versatile defender is yet to establish himself as a regular starter for the Dutch giants but has still managed 31 appearances across all competitions.
Despite his tender years, Alvarez has already nailed down a regular starting role in Mexico’s international set-up. He featured prominently in Mexico’s march to the last-16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup before helping El Tri to a record eight CONCACAF Gold Cup crown in 2019. The 23-year-old has earned 33 caps for his nation so far.
Wolves would benefit from Alvarez’s potential
Wolves underwent radical changes at the back during a busy summer window that witnessed plenty of arrivals and departures at Molineux. Matt Doherty, Ruben Vinagre and Ryan Bennett all departed the club to make room for Nelson Semedo, Fernando Marcal, Ki-Jana Hoever and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Nuno Espirito Santo has used his man-management skills to good effect to gradually phase the new signings into the first-team mix. With Max Kilman also featuring more prominently this season, Wolves aren’t in dire need of bringing in defensive reinforcements come January but they should definitely keep their options open in the winter market.
With Romain Saiss already 30 and out of contract next summer, Wolves need to line up some alternatives to replace their utility man moving forward. Putting things into context, a potential deal for Edson Alvarez would hand a significant boost to the club’s squad depth with one eye on the future.
Noted for his versatility, the Mexican is comfortable playing at centre-back and right-back while he also possesses the necessary skill set to operate as a defensive midfielder. That would offer Nuno Santo some valuable cover and competition in multiple areas across the pitch.
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Verdict
Edson Alvarez already boasts an enviable profile for a player aged just 23, having earned 33 caps for Mexico while also accumulating close to 150 career appearances at club level. He has certainly made significant strides in his development since moving to Ajax and is only going to get better with time.
Wolves need to keep adding to their squad if they are to consolidate on back-to-back 7th-place finishes in the PL. Signing the Mexican international would put them in good stead for the foreseeable future.
