West Ham have been dealt a major boost ahead of their clash with Chelsea this weekend. The Hammers will welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s side to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Blues hope to register their first win of the Premier League campaign. Speaking to the press ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested bout, Moyes confirmed that James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez are both available for selection. West Ham signed the midfield duo earlier this month from Southampton and Ajax, respectively, and they are expected to pose Chelsea a significant threat from set-pieces. Following a week of training at Rush Green,
David Moyes said: “I’m not too sure we’ve got anyone unavailable. I think everybody is available. Both James Ward-Prowse and Edson Álvarez are available for Sunday. James has Premier League experience and has scored and assisted goals throughout his career. If he does that for us then he will add value to what we’ve already got. We hope Edson will bring us something as well. We’re enjoying working with him and I hope both will be really positive signings for us.”
Chelsea could also debut two new midfielders of their own on Sunday – Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, whose arrivals saw the Blues’ total spend under Todd Boehly eclipse £850million. Ahead of the West Ham clash,
Mauricio Pochettino said: “We all know him (Lavia), his quality and his profile. I think he is the perfect player for this project. We are excited and we are so happy to have him in the squad.”
Then, on Caicedo,
Mauricio Pochetino added: “The club worked really, really hard. I would like to congratulate the owners, the sporting directors, everyone involved because the job was amazing. To add this sort of player like Moises, or Romeo now, I think it was a fantastic work from the club. We need to congratulate the job they are doing, the owners and the sporting directors because it was fantastic. This type of player, with the qualities they have, to come into this squad and to this project. It’s really exciting moment and situation for the club.”
