Jose Luis Mendilibar's tactical demand for a creative number 8 threatens to derail Mexican captain Edson Alvarez's arrival at Olympiacos as valuation gaps persist with West Ham.
West Ham man Edson Alvarez's potential transfer to Olympiacos could hit a roadblock soon due to Jose Luis Mendilibar's demands to bring a different type of midfielder to the club — per a report by Sportdog.gr.
The Spanish head coach has asked his scouts to search for a 'number 8' who can dictate the tempo of the game, provide box-to-box coverage, and serve as a passing link in transitions. Alvarez offers an entirely separate profile in this case, as he is a defensive midfielder similar to Santiago Hezze's natural position.
An earlier report by Nikos Kotsis (covered by Olympiacos Roundtable) states that the Red and Whites had upgraded their talks to land the Mexico national team captain from West Ham from an initial loan move to a permanent signing. However, there is currently a major gap between the EFL Championship side's and Thrylos' valuations of the player. While Olympiacos are offering €8 million as transfer fees plus bonuses, West Ham have set an asking price of €14 million for Alvarez and are not expected to budge any less than that amount.
Therefore, Alvarez remains on Olympiacos' radar, but they are still undecided on whether to go all-in for his signature since he could prove to be an overload on the defensive midfield department after signing. He entered the discussion as a possible summer transfer when rumours started linking Hezze with an exit from the club. Nothing has changed on that front as the Argentine is predicted to start against Asteras Tripolis in the Super League Greece this weekend.
Alvarez reportedly has an agreement in place with the Piraeus giants on personal terms, but in such cases of indecision, these rarely matter as everything resides on the club's wishes and an agreement on transfer fees with the player's parent side. However, Olympiacos have not backed out of the race and could muster a late move for him.
Should Alvarez sign for the club, he will become their second Mexican arrival after the celebrated move of Armando Gonzalez from Chivas de Guadalajara.
Meanwhile, in other news, Olympiacos are not looking to pay more than €12 million for Sevilla winger Ruben Vargas. The Andalusians desperately need the sale of the Swiss international to register their summer signings, who have been waiting to feature for the Spanish side dealing with Financial Fair Play issues. Sevilla could be forced to accept the Greek giants' offer today or tomorrow as the LaLiga transfer window edges closer to an end.
