West Ham Sign Kyle Walker-Peters: Bargain Buy or Dead Wood?

West Ham United have bagged themselves a bargain.

Kyle Walker-Peters has joined the Hammers for free following his departure from Southampton upon the expiration of his contract.

At 28, the former Tottenham product brings 148 games of Premier League experience and was set to join Besiktas before the Turks pulled out of the deal due to the player stalling.

Besiktas have released a very open statement about the transfer of Kyle Walker-Peters. pic.twitter.com/Zow1hrlB3l

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 17, 2025

Have the club from East London found a steal, or will he become dead wood at the club?

How Will He Fit In?

West Ham were in desperate need of cover to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as Vladimir Coufal has left the club as a free agent and Ben Johnson departed last summer - leaving Wan-Bissaka as the only right-back at the club.

Graham Potter likes to deploy a back three of central defenders supported by two wing-backs at West Ham, with Aaron Creswell (a left-back) or Coufal (a right-back) tucking in as the third centre-back to then support the wing-back when attacking.

West Ham United is delighted to announce the signing of England international defender Kyle Walker-Peters ✍️

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 20, 2025

With Creswell out of the door, Wan-Bissaka could be the new man to tuck into a central defensive area much like Kyle Walker did successfully with England at the 2018 World Cup, leaving Walker-Peters as the only other candidate to be fielded as a right wing-back.

Potter uses this formation as he aims for the wing-back to stay pinned to the touchline with support from the two wider centre-backs despite this potentially leaving a 1v1 behind, which then allows the West Ham wingers to tuck into midfield areas.

For example, the Hammers' draw to Aston Villa in the league saw exactly 50% of their attacks down the right flank with Wan-Bissaka leading the charge forward from wing-back.

In the same match, they had six crosses and the former Manchester United defender played a vital role in Emerson's - another wing-back - goal to equalise.

This suits Walker-Peters' play style as he featured as a wing-back - albeit sometimes on the left due to a lack of options - under Russell Martin at the Saints and then Ivan Juric's dismal tenure.

He does also have the ability to play in a flat back four as he did on the odd appearance at Spurs and the first three years of his Southampton spell.

However, his attacking work rate and strengths far outweigh his defensive acumen, meaning wing-back is more suited to his style.

Similar Signings in Recent Years

Ola Aina at Nottingham Forest proves to be a similar signing to Walker-Peters.

Aina also arrived on a free transfer and again didn't make the grade at his youth academy and then impressed, having moved elsewhere.

In Nuno Espirito Santo's wing-back formation with three central defenders, Aina has been able to bomb up and down the flank using all his attacking ability to his advantage whilst subconsciously knowing he has defensive cover behind him.

This has been revolutionary for the player as he made 35 starts for Forest in 2024/25, becoming a crucial player in their qualification for European football just a year on from narrowly avoiding relegation.

Despite being a striker, Daniel Jebbison's free move to Bournemouth has hit the other side of the coin.

Going on loan to Watford just a month after signing for the Cherries, Jebbison made 13 Championship appearances for the Hornets but didn't hit the back of the net a single time, with his only two goals in Hertfordshire coming in the FA Cup as the deal was cut short in January.

Since returning to the South Coast, the Canadian-born striker has played 16 times yet only scored once to give him a tally of just three goals in 34 for the season, and he has now moved to Preston North End on another loan deal.

The Verdict

Will Walker-Peters turn out to be a shrewd piece of business from the Hammers that will help them back on track towards a top-half finish following a miserable 2024/25?

Either way, on a free transfer and in the prime of his career, my verdict is that it's a low-risk move for a player that is capable of starting week in, week out for them, or at worst being a very useful squad player.