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Why Issa Kabore would be immediate West Ham upgrade on Kyle Walker-Peters
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- Why Issa Kabore would be immediate West Ham upgrade on Kyle Walker-Peters
Kyle Walker-Peters and West Ham United-linked Issa Kabore are cut from a similar cloth.
West Ham's summer transfer window feels primed to burst into life at any moment now.
Cash is in the pot, Amanda Staveley looks set to lead a consortium to purchase David Gold's family's 25 per cent stake in West Ham, and numerous transfer irons are in the fire.
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One of those could be for Kabore, with the right-back now returning to parent club Manchester City after a loan spell with Wrexham last season.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a very impressive 2025-26 campaign with the Red Dragons, and established himself as a quality player in the second tier.
But if West Ham are to acquire his services this summer, then that would see the Burkina Faso international enter a direct competition for minutes between himself and Walker-Peters.
Where Issa Kabore shone brighter than Kyle Walker-Peters last season
West Ham Zone has been discussing Kabore's potential West Ham arrival as being a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka , who has been strongly linked with a London Stadium exit this summer.
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Should Wan-Bissaka go and Kabore join, then that would leave Nuno Espirito Santo with a fascinating decision on who to hand the starting responsibilities to between the Man City man and Walker-Peters.
Both defenders are attacking-minded, which would only spice up their competition even further given they're of a similar profile.
However, as detailed via FotMob , Kabore - albeit in the Championship as opposed to the Premier League - put up some significantly better numbers than Walker-Peters in a number of key areas in 2025-26.
On a per 90 minutes basis, Kabore created 0.99 chances and took 0.48 shots compared to Walker-Peters' 0.46 chances created and 0.33 efforts on goal.
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Meanwhile, Kabore was also a supremely effective crosser of the ball, averaging 1.15 successful crosses per 90, whilst Walker-Peters averaged a mere 0.07.
Kabore also recorded 1.51 successful dribbles per game as opposed to the West Ham man's 1.04, as well as taking 1.78 touches in the opposition box to Walker-Peters' 1.24.
Therefore, it's likely that Kabore would be a better fit for Nuno's tactical thinking next season, as in the Championship, he'll no doubt want his side to be as aggressive and high up the pitch as possible.
Having been with Man City since the summer of 2020, Kabore is clearly a player with plenty of talent, but what is his contract situation at the Etihad Stadium?
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Phil Parkinson has already explained why 'tenacious' Issa Kabore will be loved at West Ham Why Man City will surely want to sell Kabore now
Having spent time out on loan with big European clubs such as Werder Bremen , Benfica and Marseille respectively, Kabore has some serious pedigree on his CV.
But after a 2025-26 loan stint with Wrexham in which he provided eight assists in 32 games, his stock has perhaps never been higher than where it currently sits right now.
That could tempt Man City into a summer sale in order to receive a premium fee for him, which is something they wouldn't be able to do this time next year.
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Indeed, Kabore is only contracted with the Cityzens until summer 2027, meaning he's scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the upcoming campaign.
So for a player who looks unlikely to have a first-team future in Manchester, City could still realistically bank a healthy seven-figure fee for Kabore this summer, and that might still be a bargain for West Ham.
