By Conor Hogan

Following their 3-0 humiliation against Wolves at the weekend, West Ham have now conceded more goals than any other Premier League team this season.

The Hammers have now shipped 41 goals in 20 games, one more than Rob Edwards’ side, who remain bottom of the table despite Saturday’s result at Molineux.

Defensively, West Ham have been simply dreadful this season. The Irons conceded 13 goals in five games under Graham Potter before the Englishman was sacked. 

They have not fared much better under current boss Nuno Espírito Santo.

In fact, the Hammers have kept only one clean sheet this season, which was, funnily enough, against Nuno’s Nottingham Forest side before the 51-year-old himself was dismissed.

Although there are many reasons for West Ham’s defensive frailty, one major issue has been the continued presence of Max Kilman at centre-back. 

The 28-year-old, who signed for £40 million in 2024, has been abysmal at the back this season.

Kilman has cost his side goals and points far too often this season. Although the Hammers may have still been in a relegation scrap without him, they definitely would’ve been somewhat better off.

Amid the drastic improvement of Jean-Clair Todibo in recent months, Kilman sticks out like a sore thumb, even when he is alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos, who, despite the Hammers’ defensive hardships, also appears a much-improved player from last season.

This makes Nuno’s decision not to deploy Igor Julio even more baffling. The Brazilian, who is on loan from Brighton, has appeared only four times for the Irons this season, making his only start in the Hammers’ 2-2 draw at Bournemouth in November.

Igor played 90 minutes as part of a centre-back trio on that day, but has played only 13 minutes in the league otherwise. In his seven-minute cameo against Burnley, he even played a big part in Kyle Walker-Peters’ goal, which secured the Irons’ last league win.

Frankly, although he has played very little, Igor has not looked a liability when he has played. Given how costly Kilman has proven this season, the Brazilian is surely deserving of a run in the Irons’ eleven, especially while Todibo is out injured.

Nuno desperately needs to alter his defensive strategy. While rumours of the Hammers acquiring Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell are encouraging, West Ham need an immediate change if they stand any chance of getting a result against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

It’s unlikely that Igor will drastically improve West Ham’s backline, but his inclusion over Kilman could help the Hammers get a crucial result against Sean Dyche’s side.

During the Irons’ relegation battle in late 2019, David Martin, an admittedly mediocre goalkeeper, replaced the disastrous Roberto and claimed a clean sheet away at Chelsea.

Martin didn’t remain in the West Ham side long after, but his performance at Stamford Bridge grabbed a huge win for a West Ham side that was desperate for points. If Igor comes in for Kilman, who knows? History just might repeat itself.