In Focus: Hammers nail post-Rice midfield revamp

West Ham have undergone a midfield transformation after Delcan Rice's departure to Arsenal. 

After receiving £105million from the Gunners for their talisman and former skipper, the Hammers have quickly reinvested roughly £65m to land the duo of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse.

We take a closer look at David Moyes' revamped engine room ahead of a tasty London derby with Chelsea on Sunday.

Impossible to replace

Though Rice was never a prolific scorer or creator in East London, his influence on his team's performances was second to none.

The 24-year-old made more interceptions than any other Premier League player last season and was second only to Manchester City star Rodri in terms of regains in the middle third of the pitch.

All that was achieved in a Hammers side who were flirting with relegation right up until the season's penultimate weekend.

He was also one of only 17 players to take over 2,500 touches last term, refusing to shy away during what was a challenging domestic campaign. 

Speaking in May, Moyes said: "Through my career, I've been really lucky to coach some special talents and Declan is certainly among that group."

Use your Ed

Four weeks after Rice's exit was confirmed, the Hammers completed the eye-catching capture of Mexican midfielder Alvarez from Dutch giants Ajax.

Strongly linked with Chelsea in January, the 25-year-old earned plenty of admirers during his stint in Amsterdam and possesses a strikingly similar skill set to his predecessor.

Though Ajax suffered a disappointing league campaign in 2022-23, no Eredivisie player carried the ball further than Alvarez, who also ranked second in the league for attempted passes.

The 69-cap international also made more successful tackles than any of his team-mates and sat inside the division's top five players for possession regains and aerial duels won. 

Standing at 6ft 2in just like Rice, Alvarez has the physical attributes to thrive in English football.

Swoop for a Saint

Adding a slightly different flavour to the Hammers' central options is Ward-Prowse, who has finally left his boyhood club Southampton.

Rice's England team-mate brings a wealth of Premier League experience to the London Stadium with 343 career top-flight appearances to his name.

Known as a set-piece specialist, his 17-goal tally from direct free-kicks is just one shy of David Beckham's long-standing divisional record while he also sends devilish deliveries into the box.

While Alvarez offers steel, Ward-Prowse is a creative force — Arsenal's Martin Odegaard and Brighton's Pascal Gross were the only central midfielders to better his 74 chances created last term.

Though Saints were relegated in dire fashion, their 28-year-old former captain still shone in a struggling side.

Better balance

Having missed pre-season with their new club, both Alvarez and Ward-Prowse will need time to adjust to their new surroundings.

But in 60-year-old Moyes, they have a vastly experienced coach who knows how to keep things simple and will allow both new men to play to their strengths.

With the rigours of Europa League football to contend with this term, minutes will once again be shared around the Scot's squad and he has added two proven performers to his central ranks.

Last season, the Hammers' overreliance on Rice was borderline unhealthy — now several stars must step up and share the load.