West Ham United have signed Argentinian International midfielder Guido Rodriguez on a free transfer after leaving Real Betis at the end of the season, but who is he, and what will he bring to the London Stadium?
Guido Rodriguez is quite simply a defensive midfielder, he has played there his whole career in Argentina, Mexico and Spain. He has been a regular squad member of the Argentina national team since 2017, but it’s only since his time at Real Betis that he has become a recognisable face to most football fans. He was a crucial component in Manuel Pellegrini’s exciting Betis team. He was relied upon to provide balance to a side full of attacking talent, similar to what West Ham will be next season.
According to The Coaches’ Voice, he excels at winning possession when defending one-on-one, largely via well-timed tackles and the sound judgement that means him closing down the relevant spaces that would otherwise exist. However, his consistent defensive output doesn’t make him poor at other parts of his game, like it does for some defensive midfielders. He is very balanced on the pitch and can sense what’s coming, anticipating the opposition’s movements and adjusting his body position accordingly.
The midfielder is full of aggression, a trait a lot of Argentinians have. This contributes to his effectiveness in winning the ball, and therefore improving his teammates’ ability to progress forwards, players like Isco and Nabil Fekir have really been able to thrive for los Verdiblancos with Guido at the base of midfield. If he can help further unlock players like Paqueta, Kudus and Bowen at West Ham this campaign after impressing last time out, West Ham could have a very exciting team.
He is an all out defensive midfielder, despite never playing in central defence from the start, like Alvarez, he is able to drop deep and help his defenders out, both in and out of possession. He provides the balance needed there on the occasions a defender has been drawn out of position, or has advanced to either close down a space or an opponent. He will also willingly remains there until his teammates are able to recover their shape. His determination when marking and defending one-on-one, either in midfield or defence, also means that he is rarely beaten in those circumstances.
Over the past year, his defensive statistics have been very impressive, averaging almost four tackles an interceptions per 90, slightly more than Edson Alvarez who really impressed West Ham fans during his first season at the club. Both midfielders’ statistics profile very similarly, with the defensive statistics really standing out and the attacking ones rather average. It is very likely that Rodriguez is seen as an understudy for Alvarez, who often misses matches due to suspension, so it was key that the club signed another defensive midfielder after losing Kalvin Phillips and selling Flynn Downes to Southampton. To get a player of Rodriguez’s quality and similarity to Alvarez on a free transfer makes this incredible business for West Ham.
The main question on West Ham fans lips is: ‘Can Rodriguez play alongside Edson Alvarez?’ In short, yes he can, and they have done a lot previously.
Despite being pretty similar in profile, with both specialising in deeper and more defensive positions. They can play together and they have multiple times already, for Mexican side Club America. Edson Alvarez came through the ranks at Las Águilas, while Rodriguez joined him at the club in January 2017, just months after Alvarez made his senior debut. The pair formed a very good relationship during their year and a half at the club together, and are still very good friends to this day.
Alvarez made his first team debut for the Eagles in October 2016, and was joined by Rodriguez, who signed from Tijuana for just over €6m. They went on to play over 74 games together for Club America, however, Alvarez operated at CB in a lot of those matches, meaning they were not always a defensive midfield duo. This could be an option for the Hammers going forward, as Julen Lopetegui is yet to find a partner for Max Kilman at the back.
Alvarez left to join Ajax in 2019, a year before Guido left to join Real Betis. They have both gone on to have very successful careers after winning two trophies together at Club America. Alvarez has won two Eredivisie titles, a Dutch cup and two Gold Cup’s with Mexico. Guido Rodriguez has out performed Alvarez internationally, the midfielder is part of the Argentina squad that has won a World Cup and two Copa America’s over the past four years. He also won the Spanish Cup at Betis in 21/22.
