West Ham have revealed their first signing of the winter transfer window, a young player to bolster the squad and build into a first-team player!
Ripping the bandaid off a poor-luck loss away at Chelsea, West Ham have quickly confirmed rumoured suspicions for quite some time. The Hammers have their first signing of the January transfer window done and dusted early.
Rumours emerged a few months ago that West Ham were in on U21 Denmark defender Frederik Alves as a signing for the future. Unsure of a work permit or international clearance the deal lingered past the summer transfer window with the belief it would be completed in January. Well, Christmas has come early for the Hammers as Alves is officially signed on.
With a fee rumoured to be around £1-1.5m, Alves is a low-risk gamble on an international quality player the club can potentially mould into a future piece on their backline. The Hammers have also fended off interest from Leeds United for the defender, a team with strong scouting across Europe.
We are pleased to announce that promising Denmark U21 international defender Frederik Alves has agreed to join the Club.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 22, 2020
Now formerly from Silkeborg IF of the Danish Superliga, the 21-year-old centre-back is on the edge of youth prospect and potential first-team player, depending on how he gets on in West Ham’s academy. Alves played in eight matches for his team this season, going 6-2 before picking up an injury in November.
Internationally, Alves has played in seven matches for Denmark’s youth teams, two for the U20s and five for the U21s. He is likely to continue a push towards the senior men’s team within a few years as their defensive core is ageing.
For West Ham, Alves will be an academy player for the remainder of the season. The U23s need more defensive cover with injuries and loans hollowing out their team, and Alves can link up with centre-back starlets Goncalo Cardoso, Jamal Baptise, and Aji Alese.
Congratulations and welcome, Frederik Alves, the newest Hammer! This was smart business and a good gamble to make by the club to bolster the team and build toward the future! onward and upward for the Hammers!