West Ham misfit says Moyes called him the club’s ‘best’ before £1m exit

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David Moyes told Frederik Alves Ibsen that he was West Ham United’s ‘best’ ball-playing central defender before leaving the Premier League club in the January transfer window, speaking to Ekstra Bladet. 

When West Ham signed the Danish U21 international from Silkeborg around Christmas 2019, it’s hard to imagine that they were expecting to sell him just 13 months later. 

But after failing to make a single first-team appearance in claret-and-blue – and following a forgettable loan spell at Sunderland – Alves returned to his native Denmark on deadline-day, joining Brondby for a fee in the region of £1 million. 

This is not to say Moyes wasn’t a fan of the one-time Leeds United target though. 

Alves was given plenty of chances during pre-season. And, in September, the 22-year-old expressed his belief that a starting spot at the London Stadium was within his grasp, having played ‘insanely well’ in the off-season. 

Clearly, Alves isn’t short of confidence. 

But when Brondby came calling, offering Alves the chance to play regular first-team football, it was an opportunity he was determined to take.

Were West Ham right to sell Frederik Alves?

“I had no doubts (about joining) when they approached me,” Alves explains. 

“My older brother is also a Brondby fan. He jumped on the couch with joy. It was crazy.

“It was hard to say goodbye to the Premier League. It’s a great opportunity to say no to. But it has not been that difficult either, because I see a good opportunity in Brondby. I want playing time.” 

Alves played just 44 minutes of League One football during that ill-fated stint at Sunderland between August and January.

Former manager Lee Johnson even dropped the defender for an EFL Cup clash with Arsenal due to what he described as a ‘lack of discipline in training’. 

But if Alves can prove that he has the attitude to match his ability, there’s no reason to believe he won’t bounce back from a year he won’t look back on with too much fondness. 

“I learned a lot from Moyes, with whom I had a lot of conversations,” Alves adds. “(Moyes) was an insanely nice and good coach.

“In our conversations, I was told that I was the best of (West Ham’s) centre-backs on the ball. It was cool to be told that, but I could also see it on the training ground.”