By Ben Wylie

21st Apr, 2023 | 7:10am

BT Sport commentator stunned by Kurt Zouma stat in West Ham United win v Gent

West Ham United cruised past Gent on Thursday 20 April at the London Stadium to reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, but it was Kurt Zouma who caught the eye for a different reason.

Despite struggling domestically, the Hammers have performed well on the continent, making the quarter-finals of a European competition for the second time in as many seasons.

David Moyes’ side has shone in the Conference League thus far, topping Group B and winning six games from six against Anderlecht, Silkeborg, and FCSB before cruising to a comfortable victory in the round of 16 against AEK Larnaca (Transfermarkt).

However, they faced a tough test against Gent, with Zouma missing a good chance to put the hosts into an early lead promoting commentator Adam Summerton to reveal a surprising statistic.

“With Zouma in the side, West Ham’s win percentage is 36.8% in the Premier League, without him, it drops to 10%, astonishing.” Summerton said on (BT Sport 2, 08:15).

Summerton’s Surprise Justified

Whilst the stats don’t lie, Summerton is right to be surprised, as although Zouma has been an important performer since arriving at the London Stadium, few would have expected the Frenchman to have been so important.

The Hammers welcomed the defender for a fee just shy of £30m back in August 2021, with the then 26-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal (Sky Sports).

Since then, Zouma has gone on to make 56 appearances for the Londoners, being a starter for Moyes’ side when fit and helping guide West Ham to a seventh-place finish last season (Transfermarkt).

Although there are only a few games left this campaign, West Ham still has a lot to play for, as having booked their place in the Conference League semi-final a European trophy is now well within their grasp.

Despite conceding an early goal, West Ham rallied to give a professional performance, edging past Gent to book their place in the next round against AZ Alkmaar.

However, those in claret and blue cannot allow their focus to drift from the Premier League, as with just 31 points on the board they sit just four points outside the relegation zone.

Given his win percentage in the side, Moyes will be hoping Zouma can maintain his fitness for the remainder of the season, as the defender could have a big role to play if West Ham are secure Premier League status for next season, and maybe even bring silverware back to London.