In a season where West Ham United have consistently flirted with relegation, there have been few moments where Hammers fans can be genuinely positive about their club.
However, since 2026 began, there has been a change in performance levels from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, both on a collective and an individual landscape. Because of this, there are many different West Ham players who would feel that they deserve to be in contention for the Hammer of the Year award.Obviously the season is not over, and performances in the final 10 games of the Premier League season will probably count most towards the award. However, that does not mean you cannot evaluate who the front-runners would be in this current moment.
The first name that must be mentioned is perhaps West Ham’s most consistent performer this season, Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder has put up a minimum of 7/10 displays weekly since signing for the east London club in the summer.
In addition to his consistency, Fernandes has displayed genuine world-class ability in certain games, particularly his incredible performance against Sunderland in a 3-1 win back in January.
Fernandes’ 30-yard screamer in that game was flawless; however, it is only a small proportion of what the midfielder has offered West Ham this year. In addition to his three goals and three assists, the 21-year-old has created 28 chances this Premier League season, the most at the club.
Despite those impressive offensive statistics, Fernandes’ work ethic and defensive contributions have arguably impressed Hammers fans more. The midfielder has won possession 137 times this league season, more than any other West Ham player. Furthermore, he has made 74 tackles, the eighth most in the Premier League.
The Portugal Under 21 international has achieved this after signing for West Ham in the final stages of the summer window, meaning he missed pre-season and the Hammers’ first two league games. Because of this, those statistics are even more remarkable and a key reason why one would argue he should win West Ham’s player of the season.
Two of Fernandes’ assists were delivered to in-form winger Crysencio Summerville. The Dutch forward has been exceptional in 2026, registering six goals and two assists in all competitions. However, his goal contributions are not the only reasons why the winger has impressed this calendar year.
Summerville has provided a constant threat in every game he has played recently, while also using his ability to drag the team forward when others are failing to influence the game. However, it must be considered that despite being brilliant lately, the winger was rather average in the first half of the season as he contributed zero goals to the team.
If the 24-year-old had been performing like he has lately since the start of the season, he would be favourite to win Hammer of the Year.
Summerville’s contrast in performances before and after the new year is largely down to confidence. The 24-year-old has spoken about how influential Nuno has been in his turnaround in form, particularly in terms of consistency and self-belief. The West Ham manager will be crucial in keeping Summerville’s confidence sky-high, because if it is, West Ham’s chances of staying up will rise significantly.
Another candidate for Hammer of the Year would be Summerville’s fellow winger and captain Jarrod Bowen. Despite it not being his best season for the Hammers, Bowen’s output remains remarkably impressive. The 29-year-old has scored eight goals and assisted six times in all competitions this season, once again proving himself as one of the most efficient forwards in the Premier League.
As mentioned above, it has not been Bowen’s best season, but one quality that he possesses that not many others do is his availability. West Ham’s captain has played 2,509 minutes this Premier League season, the fifth most for a player and the most for any forward. Bowen’s ability to play every game at an extremely consistent level is highly admirable and a reason why the Hammers are still in the fight for Premier League safety.
Despite that, Bowen has not met his high standards recently. He was lacklustre in performances against Bournemouth and Liverpool, plus has been outshone by Summerville since the Irons’ turn in form. Bowen is without doubt a West Ham legend and still one of the first names on the team sheet, but he will need Carlos Tevez-esque late-season form to win Hammer of the Year this season.
Conversely, someone who has been exceeding expectations and has been performing better than they have before is Konstantinos Mavropanos. It seems ridiculous to say that a centre half could be a candidate for Hammer of the Year in the same season West Ham has conceded the second most goals in the Premier League, but that is the situation Nuno’s side faces.
Mavropanos has arguably been West Ham’s most improved player recently, and, excluding last Saturday’s game against Liverpool, the Greek defender has been excellent in 2026. His partnership with Axel Disasi has installed confidence among West Ham fans that their side are strong defensively. This is backed up by the fact that the Hammers have kept three clean sheets since the pairing first lined up together.
The centre back has looked far more comfortable on the ball this campaign than he has in previous seasons. To add to that, he has won the highest percentage of aerial duels in the West Ham squad (65.8%). Ultimately, this season has proved that when Mavropanos has a competent defender alongside him, whether that is an in-form Todibo or the Disasi we have been seeing lately, there can be a very good player there.
West Ham’s season has been marked with high levels of inconsistencies. Individual seasons from certain players also reflect that, ultimately meaning that there are not too many candidates for Hammer of the Year.
Tomas Soucek has scored five goals this season and put in some hugely important performances, but he has also had a few disastrous displays. Furthermore, El Hadji Malick Diouf was brilliant at the start of the season, and despite his five Premier League assists, the most for a Premier League defender, the Senegalese’s inconsistent defensive performances either side of AFCON are why he cannot be a candidate.
One of the final things that must be added is how influential West Ham’s January signings have been on their season, however. Taty Castellanos has already scored three goals since arriving while seemingly transforming the way the Hammers attack for the better.
In a similar sense, Disasi has completely transformed the defence, with West Ham keeping more clean sheets since he arrived than they did all season beforehand. Also, despite certain criticism from sections of the fanbase, it is clear that West Ham are a better team when Pablo plays up front with Castellanos.
These new signings are all excellent players, all of whom have transformed this side tremendously, but they have not been in the side long enough to win Hammer of the Year, unfortunately.
In conclusion, I would say that Fernandes has been West Ham’s best player this season and therefore, the most likely candidate for Hammer of the Year. Unlike his teammates, the Portuguese midfielder has performed at an incredibly high level every time he has stepped onto the pitch. Because of this, he has been seen as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders this campaign.
As I mentioned, Summerville has been excellent recently, and if it were solely an award for 2026, it would be him, but his poor form in 2025 prevents him from being seen as West Ham’s best player. I would also say that despite Bowen and Mavropanos playing most games this season at a high level, the odd poor matches from them both would prevent them from winning the award.
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