Nuno Espirito Santo must start Callum Wilson in West Ham vs Bournemouth as new stat emerges
Callum Wilson could be the key for West Ham United as they take on Bournemouth this Saturday.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will be looking to continue their impressive run in the Premier League, having picked up 10 points from their last five top-flight games.
It means that the Hammers are now just three points adrift of safety, and closing in on 17th-place Nottingham Forest.
As Andoni Iraola’s men come to town on Saturday, it presents West Ham with another opportunity to boost their survival hopes, and potentially even climb out of the relegation zone.
Callum Wilson has superb record in West Ham vs Bournemouth
Wilson signed for West Ham as a free agent in the summer, following his departure from Newcastle United.
The 33-year-old has scored five Premier League goals this season, with two of them coming in the reverse fixture against Bournemouth, a 2-2 draw back in November.
Wilson scored a first-half brace to give the Hammers a two-goal lead, but Iraola’s side came roaring back to snatch a point.
Those two goals meant that the England international has now scored nine in matches between West Ham and Bournemouth across the course of his career.
Wilson spent six seasons at the Cherries between 2014 and 2020, scoring seven times against West Ham during his spell on the south coast.
Given that he has 93 Premier League goals to his name in total, 9.7 per cent of them have come in fixtures between the Hammers and Bournemouth.
Nuno needs Callum Wilson to step up after injury update
West Ham are set to be without winter signing Pablo for between four and six weeks after the Brazilian suffered a calf injury.
The forward’s absence presents Wilson with an opportunity to cement a place in the starting lineup, alongside Taty Castellanos.
It has been a stop-start season for the former Bournemouth man so far, but he will look to add to his five goals when he faces his former club on Saturday.
Nuno’s side have only scored 32 times across the course of the 2025-26 campaign, so it is an area that needs addressing quickly.
The Hammers boss needs Wilson to step up while Pablo is out, and help fire the East London side to safety.
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