In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Seth revealed that West Ham United have identified Southampton ace Kyle Walker-Peters as a target. Seth said,
“They’ve been chasing Kyle Walker-Peters for a while now. Talks, I’m told, are still open with Southampton, but a fee simply can’t be agreed, between what West Ham are prepared to pay and what Southampton want.”
Walker-Peters’ Impressive Form At St. Mary’s Stadium Last Season
Walker-Peters enjoyed a decent campaign at the English club as he managed to put in a run of impressive displays on the right side of their backline. The London-born talent scored three times and picked up three assists in 47 matches for Southampton last season across multiple competitions.
The 27-year-old was a decent performer at both ends of the pitch based on his average of 1.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.2 clearances, 0.9 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the EFL Championship. He was even excellent when distributing the ball from the back after completing 91.1% of his attempted passes in the second tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Is Walker-Peters A Decent Fit For West Ham United Boss Julen Lopetegui?
Walker-Peters is a tough-tackling defender who can read the danger well to make a few timely interceptions for his side on the defensive end of the field. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when the opposition are on the front foot and can even strike the ball with venom from long range.
The English talent has got the vision to engineer some promising chances for his teammates up top and is a good dribbler with the ball at his feet. He is primarily a right-back but can also operate as a left-back if told to do so.
We can expect Walker-Peters to inject more quality into West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui’s defence. At 27, he is about to enter his prime which makes him a worthy target for the Hammers to pursue in this summer transfer period.
Walker-Peters has already got some Premier League experience under his belt and won’t take much time to settle into life at the London Stadium. All in all, he would be a great fit for Lopetegui’s needs at the East London club this summer.
