Max Kilman is once again on West Ham’s transfer radar this summer as Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui plan a significant overhaul in the centre of defence.
Angelo Ogbonna has already left following the expiration of his contract, and Nayef Aguerd and club captain Kurt Zouma are also likely to depart. Both players have been informed they can leave if suitable offers are made.
Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Max Kilman is considered a prime candidate to replace Aguerd on the left side and partner Konstantinos Mavropanos at the heart of the Hammers’ defence. West Ham’s interest in Kilman has been reiterated by ExWHUEmployee.
Kilman, a left-footed 6’4 defender, has been described as a ‘Gentle Giant’. Despite his size, his strengths lie in dribbling and long passes rather than sheer physicality.
The 27-year-old carries a hefty £45m price tag, which West Ham would need to negotiate down to complete the signing. This could be facilitated by a substantial transfer fee from Saudi Arabia for either Aguerd or Zouma.
Julen Lopetegui, who highly valued Kilman during his time at Wolves, would love to make him a cornerstone of West Ham’s defence. Kilman played in all but one of Wolves’ 23 Premier League matches under Lopetegui’s management.
Though left-footed, Kilman played the entire 2021/22 season on the right side of a back three, often carrying the ball out of defence and distributing it to central midfielders Ruben Neves or Joao Moutinho. Wolves fans were impressed with his rapid development and positional awareness in this role.
Lopetegui later moved Kilman back to his preferred left centre-back position, pairing him with former West Ham player Craig Dawson. The duo formed a solid partnership, and Lopetegui hopes Kilman will perform even better alongside Mavropanos at West Ham.
Kilman’s career path has been quite different from many other players linked to West Ham this summer. Eligible for Ukraine through his mother, Kilman started his football career in futsal. He was part of a futsal academy before joining Fulham’s academy, and later moved to Gillingham. After struggling to break through, he joined Welling, where he made just one appearance in a season. He then moved to Maidenhead United, where he was loaned to local side Marlow. Kilman returned to Maidenhead, making 39 appearances before signing with Wolves in 2018.
Throughout his non-league career, Kilman continued playing futsal and represented England 25 times between 2015 and 2018.
Kilman played a crucial role in the Wolves U21 team that won the PL2 Division 2 title in the 2018/19 season. Nuno Espirito Santo rewarded him with his Premier League debut in May 2019, coming on in the final minutes of a 1-0 win over Fulham.
In the 2019/20 season, Kilman made three Premier League appearances and four Europa League appearances while primarily being a bench player. He became slightly more prominent in the 2020/21 season, making twelve starts and eighteen league appearances overall. However, reports suggested that Espirito Santo would have been open to his departure.
Kilman became a mainstay in Wolves’ defence during the 2021/22 season under Bruno Lage, starting all but eight Premier League matches and missing six due to injury. He started the first eight games of the 2022/23 season before Lage was sacked in October following a 2-0 defeat to West Ham.
When Julen Lopetegui took over, Kilman remained a crucial part of the team, sparking rumors of a big-money move, with links to Manchester United, Chelsea, and now West Ham.
Kilman was even more pivotal under Gary O’Neil, playing every single minute of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. Only Arsenal’s William Saliba matched this feat among outfield players. This durability is a major positive for West Ham, which has struggled with injuries to players like Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd.
