Álvarez exits as Potter seeks much needed reinforcements

West Ham's defensive midfielder Edson Álvarez has departed East London to join Turkish giants Fenerbahce on an initial season-long loan deal.

The Mexican national captain has made 59 appearances since joining the Hammers back in 2023 from Eredivisie side Ajax, immediately becoming a pivotal part of the team setup under David Moyes.

West Ham United can confirm Edson Álvarez has joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK on loan for the 2025/26 season, with an option to make a permanent transfer next summer.

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 23, 2025

Woeful start

The club announced the deal just hours after their 5-1 drubbing against Chelsea at the London Stadium in Friday night's showdown, a game in which their midfield was completely overrun for the second successive game this season. While fans bemoaned the lack of depth in the team amid protests against the ownership, arguably the team's best midfielder, Álvarez, was touching down in Istanbul to finalise his move to Jose Mourinho's Turkish side. The transfer signals another key departure for the club, following players such as Mohammed Kudus, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski all leaving so far this summer. Left-back Emerson is also reportedly set to join Besiktas in the coming days.

Álvarez missed most of pre-season under Graham Potter, scoring the winner in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, helping Mexico to a 13th regional title. Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho does have the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season, as the 19-time Turkish champions seek to win the title for the first time since 2014. The 27-year-old was also linked with moves to Porto and Borussia Dortmund, as well as a return to Ajax.

Possible incomings

Graham Potter's side remain in talks with Monaco for their highly-rated French Under-21 international Soungoutou Magassa, hopeful of completing a deal before September 1st's deadline. 21-year-old Magassa broke into the Ligue 1 side's first team in 2023/24, making 57 appearances in all competitions since, including seven in the UEFA Champions League. The box-to-box midfielder would bring much-needed pace and energy into a depleted side that has shipped eight goals in its opening two matches. The club continue to be linked with Southampton man Mateus Fernandes, with the Saints already rejecting a £30million bid from West Ham.

"That squad is not good enough."

Jamie Redknapp says West Ham have not improved since Graham Potter took over 📉 pic.twitter.com/10X0oIkPcD

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 22, 2025

Speaking to Sky Sports' Friday Night Football, Jamie Redknapp and former West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green criticised the lack of transfer activity, suggesting the club needed 'four or five' new signings before next week's deadline, to avoid a relegation fight.