Kyle Walker-Peters has revealed that West Ham's defenders have agreed on a clean-sheet target they consider necessary to win promotion from the Championship this season, with the full-back insisting the squad take the second tier seriously despite their loftier ambitions.

The benchmark from last season

West Ham kept two shutouts in their opening seven Championship fixtures, putting them on a pace to finish the campaign with 13. That figure falls short of the standard set by the sides who came up automatically last season: both Coventry City and Ipswich Town registered 17 clean sheets on their respective promotion runs.

Those numbers have clearly informed the thinking inside the West Ham dressing room. Walker-Peters told BBC Radio London that the defensive group has studied the data and drawn its own conclusions.

"It's something we've spoken about as a defensive unit," he said. "We've spoken about the importance of clean sheets and how many clean sheets tend to get you promoted. We have our targets."

Respect for the division

Walker-Peters was direct about where the club intends to be come May, but he was equally clear that underestimating the competition is not an option the squad entertains.

"We respect the league. It's a division lower than where we want to be, but there's still some good teams and some good players," he said. "We're not taking it lightly, but we hope to be going back up by the end of the season."

That mindset reflects a broader discipline within the squad. Counting clean sheets rather than goals scored shows where the defensive unit believes matches at this level are won and lost: not in moments of attacking brilliance, but in the accumulation of solid, unremarkable afternoons when the opposition go home empty-handed.

What the numbers demand

Hitting 17 clean sheets across a 46-game season requires a side to shut out their opponents roughly once every 2.7 matches. West Ham's current rate of one every 3.5 games trails that benchmark by some distance. To reach 17 from this point, they would need to blank opponents in around 15 of their remaining 39 fixtures, a rate closer to one every 2.6 games.

That is an achievable uplift, but it will demand more from the defensive unit than they have managed so far. West Ham sit among the early pacesetters in the table, so the quality is plainly there. The question is whether the backline can convert their current solidity into the consistent shutouts that historically underpin automatic promotion campaigns.

Building from the back

Walker-Peters' comments carry particular weight given his own experience in top-flight football. He understands that structure and defensive organisation often matter more in the Championship than individual quality, because the division rewards teams that grind out results across a long and unforgiving schedule.

Setting an internal target gives the group something concrete to chase beyond the league table itself. Clean sheets accumulate quietly over a season; by the time February arrives, the sides who have kept the most tend to occupy the two automatic spots. West Ham's defenders appear to know that, and they are already doing the arithmetic.

Frequently asked

How many clean sheets have West Ham kept this Championship season?
West Ham kept two clean sheets in their first seven Championship games this season, according to Kyle Walker-Peters' comments to BBC Radio London.
How many clean sheets do you need to get promoted from the Championship?
Based on last season's automatic promotion sides, 17 clean sheets appears to be a strong benchmark. Both Coventry City and Ipswich Town reached that figure on their way up.
What has Kyle Walker-Peters said about West Ham's promotion chances?
Walker-Peters said the squad respects the Championship, acknowledging there are good teams and players in the division, but he was clear that the aim is to win promotion back to the top flight by the end of the season.