West Ham are growing increasingly concerned about Edson Alvarez’s disciplinary record after his sending-off against Nottingham Forest, according to a report from Football Insider. 

This is according to former Hammers scout Mick Brown who left the London Stadium alongside David Moyes in June. However, he reportedly remains very well-connected at the club, and he exclusively told Football Insider that there is a belief that he has struggled to adapt to the pace of the game after joining from Ajax.

The 27-year-old has missed six games through suspension in less than 18 months since moving to the London Stadium, and averages a booking every three games in the Premier League. His 11 cards last season ranked him as the fourth most-booked player in the division, with Emerson and Lucas Paqueta just behind on ten.

Brown explained that questions have also been asked about Alvarez’s athleticism as a lack of pace has often led him to stretch into challenges in an attempt to get to the ball first. However, this is just the type of player he is and has always been, it has become a lot more of a problem this season due to the teams poor performance’s and lack of quality replacements. The Hammers really miss James Ward-Prowse’s hard work in midfield, Guido Rodriguez was signed to be back-up to Alvarez but he just hasn’t really worked out so far.

Alvarez remains a big part of Julen Lopetegui’s side at the base of their midfield, but concerns are continuing to grow and his frustration became apparent after he saw his second red card of the season on Saturday after receiving a second yellow card for a needless foul on Anthony Elanga just a few matches after seeing ref for two yellows in a match against Liverpool.

“They are frustrated about the games he misses through suspension,”  Brown told Football Insider.

“To me, it looks like a lack of discipline. He’s flying into challenges when he’s already been booked. Players get yellow cards, players get red cards, it happens, but it’s not something that can keep happening when it’s always the same player.

“There’s a concern I had, personally, when scouting in the Dutch league. A lot of good players come out of there, but the pace is much slower than the Premier League. It’s difficult to assess whether their attributes will transfer to the English game.  So from what I hear, people at West Ham feel that his game hasn’t translated particularly well. He looks too slow and off the pace to be a real top combative midfielder.”

Some Hammers fans would see Brown’s opinion as very harsh because the Mexican captain had an impressive season in claret and blue in 23/24 after arriving from Ajax for £35m in August 2023. He has shown a huge decline this season, but so has pretty much every single player, even captain Jarrod Bowen. Edson Alvarez is more than capable of getting his Hammers career back on track, but that may need to be under a new manager.