West Ham have more than one reason to keep Premier League-leading Kyle Walker-Peters

West Ham United are sure to lose some big players this summer, but Kyle Walker-Peters can't be one of them.

The 29-year-old was signed on a free transfer from Southampton last summer to compete for West Ham's starting right-back role.

In the end, both he and Aaron Wan-Bissaka would share the workload at that position, with Walker-Peters starting 15 Premier League games and Wan-Bissaka 23 respectively.

Upon joining the Hammers last summer, Walker-Peters inked a three-year contract at the London Stadium, meaning he's not scheduled to be a free agent until June 2028.

That does put the Irons in a strong position if/when offers arrive for the two-cap England international over the coming weeks.

Should any bids land for him, however, then the evidence he provided in the Premier League last season should give West Ham chiefs a definitive answer on how to respond.

How good were Kyle Walker-Peters' stats in 2025-26?

After starting 33 times for a Southampton side that finished rock-bottom of the Premier League in 2024-25, expectations for Walker-Peters' impact at West Ham were measured.

What he had proven himself to be was a dependable option though, having failed to play any fewer than 35 games in all of his five full seasons with the Saints.

But, he did snap that streak in his debut season with the Hammers (28 appearances in all competitions), helping the full-back to cut somewhat of a divisive figure among Irons fans.

The jury is out on whether Walker-Peters is a viable starting right-back in the Premier League at this stage of his career, but his underlying numbers certainly make a strong case for him being one.

As per FotMob, Walker-Peters' 66.7 per cent dribble success rate ranked him in the top 8.3 percentile of Premier League right-backs in 2025-26.

Elsewhere, his 60.2 per cent duels won rate and 6.33 duels won per 90 minutes respectively, placed him in the leading 10.7 and 13.1 per cent of his positional rivals.

Meanwhile, his 1.63 fouls won, 0.46 possessions won in the final third and 2.87 tackles per game put him in the top 11.9 and 14.3 per cent among top-flight right-backs.

Walker-Peters is a proven Championship star

With numbers such as those, not only has Walker-Peters shown he can still produce at Premier League level, but they certainly suggest he'd be a star player in the Championship.

In fact, West Ham fans don't need to worry about whether that would be the case, as he's already shown that he is one of those with Southampton.

Saints beat Leeds in the Championship play-off final in the 2023-24 season, which is the one and only year in his senior career that Walker-Peters has played outside the Premier League.

He would start 43 times in the regular season for Saints that season, providing four assists and two goals as well.

No Championship right-back played more successful passes (2,591), completed more successful dribbles (83) or took more touches (3,903) than Walker-Peters did that term.

The same can be said for his 155 touches in the opposition box, 83 fouls and two penalties won and his 21 possessions won in the final third respectively.

So, on a list of West Ham's key players they would love to retain this summer, Walker-Peters may not feature right at the top of it.

But his hidden away Premier League numbers and his league-topping Championship pedigree means he really should be.