West Ham: Konstantinos Mavropanos can hold his head held high after new developments
West Ham United defender Konstantinos Mavropanos can hold his head high, despite a dismal all-around season for the Irons.
Picking up the Hammer of the Year award, the Greek defender has played a huge part in the 2026 turnaround.
With a game to go, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit 18th and are relying on Everton to beat Tottenham on Sunday, while they have to overcome Leeds at the London Stadium.
Things could have been much different, though, had it not been for the uptick in form earlier this year.
Mavropanos sits among the group crucial in making that happen, and deserves his plaudits, whatever the outcome of the season.
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Kostas Mavropanos reaps rewards of West Ham campaign
Joining from VfB Stuttgart in 2023, Mavropanos missed out on the uptick there, as they secured two Champions League finishes in the years since, while they won the DFB-Pokal last term.
At the same time, the defender joined West Ham at the time of their downturn, which has ultimately resulted in the current relegation battle.
| West Ham’s last three finishes | |
| 2025-26 | 18th (current) |
| 2024-25 | 14th |
| 2023-24 | 9th |
Throughout his time in East London, his importance has continued to grow, receiving more minutes as the years have gone by.
Racking up 1,501 minutes in his first season, he would put 2,037 on the board last term.
This term, that has increased once again, with the figure sitting at 2,438.
As a result, Mavropanos has been handed the Hammer of the Year award, with his consistent performances at the back aiding West Ham to even be in survival contention in the first place.
How could West Ham’s backline look next season?
As of now, the Irons are set for a season in the Championship – likely promoting a mass exodus over the summer.
What aids the club in Mavropanos’ case is that all of the attention will likely be on the trio of Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes.
Alongside the Greece international, Axel Disasi has been sensational – with his move certainly not becoming permanent should relegation come.
With this in mind, the East London club could move heaven and earth to keep hold of Mavropanos.
Though, for this to happen, the project needs to be a convincing one, albeit very unlikely right now.
If the project is right, West Ham may just be able to keep hold of some of their stars as they prepare for the second tier, with the plan of only sticking around for just one season.