One word just keeps coming up again and again when delving deeper into the life and the career of West Ham United’s deadline day signing Igor Julio.
And that word is ‘personality’.
It was Igor Julio’s personality which drew Roberto de Zerbi, Graham Potter’s Brighton and Hove Albion predecessor and among the most demanding, tactically-intuitive coaches in the game, to the Brazilian defender during their time together at the Amex.
It was Igor Julio’s personality which earned him the admiration of Fabian Hurzeler, even during a 2024/25 campaign interrupted by injury.
And, when explaining how he managed to adapt to the extreme high-pressing and the Guardiola-like principles of De Zerbi’s thrilling but flawed Brighton outfit, it was Igor Julio’s personality which again saw him embrace a challenge less confident footballers may have shied away from.
So while large factions of the West Ham United faithful may be a little underwhelmed by his deadline day arrival – the Hammers snapped up Igor Julio on loan after Crystal Palace pulled the plug, Marc Guehi’s Liverpool switch ruined in the process – only the most foolish would bet against a player of such fierce determination backing down from the task at hand.
What Roberto de Zerbi said about Igor Julio shows why West Ham United like him
During his first interview with the club’s official website, Igor Julio painted the picture of a centre-half tailor-made for Graham Potter’s preferred tactical approach.
To quote the 27-year-old, Igor brings ‘a lot of quality on the ball’ while also being ‘very aggressive without the ball’.
Given that he was handpicked for one Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton – the Seagulls are masters at choosing players well-suited to their head coach’s demands – that Igor combines a penchant for brave, line-breaking passes with ferocious, front-footed defending should come as no real surprise.
Speaking to Sky Sports back in 2023, shortly after joining Brighton in a £13 million deal from Fiorentina, Igor admitted that he had long since admired De Zerbi’s swashbuckling Sassuolo team from his then-Florence home.
And while he initially found it difficult to adapt to such a risk-heavy strategy, Igor never thought for a moment about accepting defeat.
Igor bounced back from Conference League heartbreak at Fiorentina
There’s that old personality again.
“I always looked forward to the opportunity of playing against him,” Igor explained. “I always watched [De Zerbi’s] teams as he played. But there is quite a difference between watching and practising.
“It’s not difficult but the style of play needs a lot of attention. It needs a lot of personality to play. At first, I had difficulty with my team-mates’ movements. From the moment to pass and the right moment to receive the ball. But I think that with work and with personality, you learn how to play.”
A few weeks later, once he had started to settle into those blue and white stripes, De Zerbi would praise Igor’s determination as well as his adaptability.
“He is not a surprise but he is playing very well,” the now-Marseille boss told The Argus. “Not only with the ball or without the ball, but in personality and attitude.
“He is playing very well and I am very happy [with him].”
Of course, such a high-risk approach to defending always leaves a centre-half vulnerable to errors. It was Igor who found himself chasing Jarrod Bowen in vain once Lucas Paqueta’s wondrous through-ball had set the West Ham skipper away to seal that dramatic Conference League final victory over Fiorentina.
His last game for La Viola.
Yet, while even the most well-organised high-line is always breachable by the right pass and the right run, centre-halves of Igor’s talents can prove extremely effective if utilised correctly.
Igor compares well to West Ham’s existing defenders
As stats site DataMB shows, Igor ranked far higher than any of West Ham’s central defensive options last season – Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo – for passes completed and ‘progressive’ passes, while only Mavropanos averaged more ‘progressive’ carries up the pitch.
Furthermore, 91 per cent of Igor’s passes were made forwards. The highest at West Ham was Kilman with just 60 per cent.
For a team who have often struggled to build up through the thirds, and who have lacked players capable of carrying the ball over substantial distances, while Potter believes Mateus Fernandes brings a ‘different dimension’, the former Southampton playmaker is not the only one.
For Fabian Hurzeler, the man currently in charge at Brighton, Igor’s abilities were best demonstrated by last October’s comeback 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Striding forwards and playing a neat pass out wide to set Pervis Estupinan away, it was Igor who set the move in motion for Brighton’s second goal of a thrilling victory.
“It was a very difficult situation for Igor, coming into a game against Tottenham where the team suffered from the first minute and then we conceded two goals,” Hurzeler said, the big Brazilian replacing Adam Webster after only nine minutes.
“But then to show personality, not hiding, that’s something special.
“He was not hiding to get the ball. He was not hiding to go in duels, and then he played a great second half against Tottenham. I wasn’t surprised by this because I see him every training session and he is an amazing professional.
“He always wants to give the best. He always wants to be the best version of himself.”
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