Latest news with #KyleWalkerPeters
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
West Ham United Secure Signing For This Versatile Player: A Good Signing For The Hammers?
West Ham United have been floating between inconsistency and ups and downs for several seasons now. Despite some moments of brilliance in European competition, their performance in the Premier League has shown constant cracks in their system. The arrival of Graham Potter marked the start of a rebuilding process, and the team is now looking for players with elite experience but without inflating the budget. The losses in defence have left a gaping hole that is more noticeable with each passing week, and while signings are arriving in dribs and drabs, the need to reinforce the defensive flanks is becoming urgent. In that scenario, it is not surprising that the club has kept the radar active even on players who are not necessarily big headline signings. One of them has been Kyle Walker-Peters. With Southampton relegated and the player out of contract, several teams were on the lookout for him. There were contacts with clubs in Turkey, and his name was linked with Besiktas, but that move fell through. It was then that the Londoners sniffed out the opportunity and made a move fast. An opportunity that fell from the sky for West Ham United West Ham have now signed the English full-back. Kyle Walker-Peters, 28 years old, will arrive on a free after finishing his contract with Southampton. The club will offer him a deal until 2028, completing his signing after he passed his medical in London. The defender has the advantage of being able to play on both the right and left, something that appealed to the board. The collapse of his move to Turkey opened the door for this unexpected move. With the departure of Coufal, Cresswell and the imminent departure of Emerson Palmieri, Potter needed to find quick solutions. Walker-Peters fits right in where it is most needed. He has Premier League experience, possesses pace at his disposal and a good tactical reading of the game. His profile fits the style of play the manager wants to implement. The Englishman is not a full-back who shines with his stats, but he delivers consistently, and that is worth a lot in a squad that is looking for balance and depth. Opinion: A sober and necessary move The arrival of Walker-Peters seems a smart response to the team's urgency. He is not a media figure, but he is someone who knows what it takes to compete every week in the Premier League. His no-cost signing allows the club to avoid committing valuable resources. That financial flexibility may prove key to closing in on other reinforcements further up the pitch. In addition, the Englishman's experience may make it easier to adapt to a system that will demand intensity and order. On a tactical level, he brings an obvious advantage. Not many defenders offer guarantees on either flank, and with a coach like Potter, who values versatility, the English full-back could play an important role from day one. That said, how well he performs will depend on how well he gets to grips with the new coaching staff. If Kyle can adapt quickly, he could be a starter for much of the season. He won't solve all of West Ham's problems, but he does plug a gaping hole that needed to be filled.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Can't see any downsides' - your views on Walker-Peters
We asked for your views on Kyle Walker-Peters, who has joined the Hammers on a free. Here are some of your comments:Tom: Solid signing. With the departures of Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell, KWP will provide much needed cover in the full-back positions for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and new boy El Hadji Diouf. Joining on a free with Premier League experience? Even I think we needed some depth following Vladi's departure and Walker-Peters fits the bill. Good free Very happy. Will give good competition to Wan-Bissaka and Diouf and may even start a few while Diouf beds in. Hopefully being a freebie means there's a big-money midfielder and a big money forward on the Has to be a great signing. Gives us strength in depth in the back line and he is a proven Premiership player. Can't see any He is a Potter type of player and a good, versatile addition to the squad, particularly as a free Absolutely. It's clear we have depth to add with all the outgoings so can't argue with a Prem-calibre player on a free. Not only that but with two wing-backs at Afcon in the winter, we need the Definitely good business: proven Prem player and was Southampton's best player last term. Let's hope he performs like AWB!Bradderthehammer: Great free signing - in fact I'd have paid money for him. Saw him play us twice last season and he was the best player on the park in the second game. Now we need some legs in No cost except wages, good business, decent player and good back-up for Aaron Wan-Bisska.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Kyle Walker-Peters' versatility makes him a crucial signing for West Ham
If there were a seminar on how to score decisive late goals, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would surely be on the panel. However, if the topic was how to nab a player from under the noses of another club just as he was preparing to put pen to paper, the Norwegian would have to step aside — possibly to make way for a new guest speaker from West Ham United. Solskjaer inflicted plenty of late heartache on other teams during his playing career with Manchester United, but now he is the victim as manager of Besiktas, with West Ham unexpectedly swooping to sign Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Southampton. The 28-year-old full-back was set to join the Turkish club last Thursday, but they withdrew their offer after Walker-Peters delayed his medical, having been made aware of West Ham's interest. The defender was due to travel to Istanbul with an in-principle agreement in place, but he remained in the UK to finalise his switch to Graham Potter's side instead. Advertisement Walker-Peters, who will wear the No 2 shirt, has signed a three-year deal, with the option of a further year. He becomes West Ham's second summer signing following the arrival of fellow full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague last week. The full-back will reunite with ex-Southampton team-mate James Ward-Prowse — and the defender revealed the midfielder also played an important role in his decision to return to the capital, having spent seven years at Tottenham Hotspur before moving to the South Coast club. 'I'm really excited, it feels like it has been a long time coming,' Walker-Peters told West Ham's official website. 'I've been linked a few times, and he's (Ward-Prowse) tried to make it happen. (Over) the last few days, he's been speaking to me and telling me I will enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to it. I think I will settle in really quickly. 'I'm excited to be around Prowsey again — a lot of people probably don't know that he's hilarious. I'm looking forward to sharing the dressing room with him. 'I spoke to Graham Potter, and he was a big, big part of me making the decision. I've always liked his style as a coach, and I think it will suit me well. I like to play with intensity, give my all in every game, and I want to try and achieve special things here. Every team wants to win trophies, and West Ham have that ambition. From speaking to Graham, he wants to create something special, and hopefully I can be a part of that.' Last summer, West Ham held talks with Southampton over Walker-Peters' availability, but a switch failed to materialise. Following Potter's appointment in January, discussions with the recruitment team were held over improving the full-back position, with Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal set to depart as free agents. Walker-Peters featured among their list of targets, so too did Girona right-back Arnau Martinez. Advertisement But Walker-Peters' Premier League experience was viewed favourably, given he has made over 150 top-flight appearances since making his debut for Spurs in the 2017-18 season. 'We're really pleased that Kyle has agreed to join us,' said Potter. 'He is a player I've always thought highly of and been impressed by whenever he has faced one of my teams. 'He has a really good pedigree, a top professional who has established himself as a respected Premier League player and still has his best years in front of him. He will bring high-quality competition to the squad, and good character and personality to the dressing-room.' Potter intends to rebuild West Ham's squad further, with Liverpool duo Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton firm targets. Liverpool's £40million ($53.6m) valuation of Elliott has so far proven a stumbling block, while the arrival of Morton is dependent on West Ham freeing up space in their midfield. The club remain open to offers for Andy Irving, Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez. Morton, meanwhile, also has interest from Ajax and Club Brugge. Given Mohammed Kudus' £55m switch to Spurs, the signing of Walker-Peters is a welcome boost for Potter's squad. The former England international registered seven goals and 12 assists during his five-year spell at Southampton. His form under Ralph Hasenhuttl led to then-England manager Gareth Southgate giving him his senior debut in March 2022 in a friendly against Switzerland. The full-back had previously amassed 37 caps for the junior teams from England Under-18s to Under-21s. Walker-Peters can play in either full-back position or as a wing-back, which suits the system Potter is keen to deploy this season. The graphic below shows some of his minutes in midfield for Southampton in 2024-25, which would have been in an advanced wing-back role. As he settles in the forthcoming months, his presence could be most crucial in December and January, with Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka likely to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively. This is where Walker-Peters' versatility will be key, and it is another reminder of the importance of his arrival. It has been an encouraging start to the window for West Ham. And if Potter's eye for talent is anything to go by, there could be more additions of a similar if not greater calibre.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Walker-Peters joins West Ham and Evan Ferguson closing on Roma move
West Ham have completed the signing of free agent Kyle Walker-Peters, whose Southampton contract expired this summer. The former Tottenham full-back joins up with Graham Potter to continue the Hammers' summer business, which has been slow-going so far. 'He was a big, big part of me making the decision,' said Walker-Peters of Potter. 'I've always liked his style as a coach and I think it's going to suit me best. He spoke about trying to make the club like, a real family feel and that's what I'm all about and I'd like to think I'm a good fit.' Walker-Peters, who won two caps for England in 2022, spent five years at Southampton, enduring two relegations and now joins a club whose previous summer signings were El Hadji Malick Diouf, a left wing-back from Slavia Prague, and youngster Daniel Cummings from Celtic. Walker-Peters will likely play on the right. Potter said: 'He is a player I've always thought highly of and been impressed by whenever he has faced one of my teams. He has a really good pedigree, a top professional who has established himself as a respected Premier League player and still has his best years in front of him.' Meanwhile, Brighton have put distance between the club and reports that Evan Ferguson, the Republic of Ireland striker, has made a loan move to Roma. A move to the Serie A club is, though, understood to be in progress with a number of formalities still to be completed. In Italy, there have been reports a deal has been agreed for an initial loan with a €40m option to buy the player. Ferguson spent half of last season on loan at West Ham for a disappointing spell in which he started just one match and was unable to score.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Hammers sign Walker-Peters on a free - good bit of business?
West Ham have signed defender Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Southampton. The 28-year-old has joined on a three-year signing for the Hammers? He is the third defensive signing of the summer, so will he make the first-choice XI?Let us know your thoughts
