With West Ham stuck firmly in a relegation battle, discussions around potential solutions have began to gather pace. One such suggestion, a potential mid season return for Mexico international Edson Alvarez, has prompted a swift response from club sources.

It was a 3-2 defeat for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side against high flying Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League. A particularly disappointing result given the fact the Hammers went in front twice. West Ham had lost just one in six going into the Villa game, to have come away with nothing against Unai Emery’s side has meant a gap is slowly beginning to form between them and the teams above them in the table.

With the January window fast approaching, a month that will define the remainder of the Hammers 25/26 campaign, attention has turned to potential options which could help the club steer themselves away from trouble.

One rumour that started to gather pace was around Mexico captain Edson Alvarez being recalled from Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbache and returning to East London in January.

Alvarez joined West Ham in the summer of 2023 from Ajax for a reported £34 million transfer fee. Having signed the same summer Declan Rice departed, leaving behind a hole that would be impossible to fill, Alvarez impressed and performed well in the early stages of his West Ham career. As time progressed however, the 28 year old’s performances hit a dip, coinciding with a difficult period for the Hammers generally speaking.

In what was a surprise to many at the time, Alavrez joined Fenerbache for the season back in the summer. Bringing Alvarez back from his loan would certainly strengthen the options at Nuno Espirito Santo’s disposal as the club prepare for a crucial second half of the season.

A senior source close to the club has moved quickly to deny any such rumours. Speaking to Hammers News, the source told the site: “There is no recall clause for Edson Alvarez,”

The noise coming out from the club suggests West Ham’s focus in January will be signing a striker in order to strengthen their forward options with Niclas Fullkrug likely headed for the exit door. There have also been suggestions the Hammers may look to bring in a new centre back.

Alvarez will therefore see out the remainder of the season in the Turkish Super Lig. If the Hammers were to hit form and get themselves out of this relegation battle, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Nuno opts to keep the Mexico international and give him a clean slate.