Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Sat 21 March 2026 16:50, UK

West Ham United‘s players have found goals hard to come by in the Premier League this season.

The likes of Niclas Fullkrug, Callum Wilson, Pablo and Taty Castellanos haven’t provided a regular source of goals in the top flight.

As a result, the Hammers have struggled in the Premier League, particularly in the first half of the season, where they won just three of their first 19 games.

With 36 goals in their 30 games, the Hammers aren’t among the worst attacking sides in the league, but they haven’t done enough in the final third to counterbalance their defensive woes.

West Ham’s Premier League status is in doubt with eight games left to play, and their squad players need to start having an impact when called upon.

West Ham have fewest number of goalscorers in the Premier League this season

Nuno Espirito Santo needs goals from every area of his team as the season reaches its climax.

And when it comes to this season, the Portuguese head coach has called on his subs frequently, but they have similarly fired blanks in attack.

Despite using a league-high 32 different players in the Premier League this season, no team has had fewer different goalscorers than West Ham this term (10).

This shows that Nuno has a lot of players at his disposal, but they don’t have the quality to make game-changing contributions.

The four natural strikers to have played for the Hammers this season have only scored seven goals between them.

When you look throughout the rest of the team, full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf haven’t found the back of the net.

Konstantinos Mavropanos scored against Man City last Saturday, and he became West Ham’s first centre-back to score in the league in 2025-26.

The Hammers have been known for signing underwhelming strikers in the top flight, with the likes of Fullkrug, Gianluca Scamacca and Simeone Zaza failing to meet expectations in E20 over the last decade.

It’s clear that David Sullivan’s recruitment in attacking areas hasn’t been good enough, and Nuno is paying the price for that as a result.

However, new signings Pablo and Adama Traore are among the players who can change this poor record.

Why Adama Traore can become West Ham’s 11th different goalscorer vs Aston Villa

When it comes to the Spaniard, fans are aware of the criticisms he has previously faced for his lack of end product.

Crysencio Summerville’s injury has paved the way for him to earn more minutes in the team, but he’ll have to take his opportunities with conviction, starting with this weekend’s trip to take on Aston Villa.

Often labelled as one of the strongest players in the top flight, opposition defenders have found it tough to defend him over the years.

Whether Aston Villa start Matty Cash or Lamare Bogarde at right-back, Traore is much faster and stronger than the pair.

If the former Wolves winger is named in Nuno’s starting lineup, he could experience a lot of joy on the left wing.

In the Premier League this season, the Spaniard has completed 2.49 dribbles per 90 minutes, and should he find the back of the net at Villa Park, West Ham would have their 11th goalscorer of the Premier League this season.