Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez has suggested he is happy that his transfer to Chelsea did not go through last summer after the club’s chaotic season.

Alvarez was keen on joining Chelsea last summer but Ajax refused to let him go and he was forced to spend the 2022-23 campaign in Amsterdam, which he feels was for the best.

Asked about if his failed move to Stamford Bridge was still on his mind, the defensive midfielder told Voetbal International. “At first, because it felt like a mental challenge. Still, I turned the switch again afterwards, because Ajax is also a big club.

“I also believe that everything in life happens for a reason. If you see Chelsea’s season now, for example, also with all kinds of problems, then maybe it should have been that way. And this season, however difficult, has also been educational for me.”