The Hammers signed the midfielder this month for a fee of €38m from the Dutch champions Ajax.
He made his debut for West Ham as a substitute towards the end of their 3-1 win over Chelsea at the London Stadium on Sunday.
However, the midfielder could have easily ended up at Borussia Dortmund, who more or less had an agreement in place with Ajax for his signature.
Mislintat admitted that he expected the midfielder to end up at Dortmund as his representatives were in advanced negotiations with the German giants.
He told German magazine Kicker (via Fussball Transfers): “As far as I know, Dortmund and Alvarez’s camp were extremely far-reaching in their talks.
“I firmly expected Borussia to get him.”
The Ajax technical director feels that in a summer where defensive midfielders went for a premium, Alvarez was probably one of the best 6s available for a sensible transfer fee.
“In my opinion, Edson is one of the best single 6s who was available in the market at a rationally justifiable price.”
Alvarez will hope to break into the West Ham starting eleven soon as he settles down in a new country and league.
