A top Wolves expert has responded to West Ham concern over the quality of Max Kilman quality and his £40m fee.
West Ham are on the verge of completing a £40m deal to sign Max Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The move reunites the Wolves skipper with the man who gave him the armband, Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham have been locked in talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers for over two weeks.
The Hammers saw two bids knocked back before a third, worth £40m with no extras, was agreed with Wolves yesterday.
West Ham deliver Lopetegui’s number one target
Kilman was Lopetegui’s number one defensive target as he looks to overhaul a West Ham backline that conceded a club record 74 Premier League goals last season.
Captain Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd are both for sale and the capture of Kilman from Wolves will be one of two centre-backs West Ham look to sign.
Born in London, the move to West Ham represents a return home for Kilman.
The 27-year-old has reportedly been coveted by a host of clubs including Spurs, Man United and Chelsea.
So on the surface it seems a real coup for West Ham and a big loss for Wolves.
After all signing a rival Premier League club’s captain is not easy or cheap, especially if they are English.
West Ham have managed just that.
Top Wolves expert responds to West Ham fears over £40m Kilman
Yet there is a section of West Ham fans already doubting their latest acquisition and questioning the price the Hammers have paid.
It comes after some Wolves fans said on social media they were delighted to be getting that kind of money for the ball-carrying centre-back.
So Hammers News has reached out to Wolves journalist Tom Procter to get the lowdown on Kilman and the deal from both perspectives.
The top Wolves expert has responded to West Ham fears over Kilman and the big £40m fee.
Procter is a journalist on Molineux News and what he doesn’t know about Wolves probably isn’t worth knowing.
So there is perhaps nobody better placed to assess the Kilman deal and the concerns raised by some West Ham supporters.
Procter has reassured the Hammers they are getting a top, durable centre-back. He says some of the online criticism from a small section of Wolves fans has been harsh and over the top.
He believes that stemmed from the captaincy weighing heavy on the 27-year-old.
And Procter insists ‘there is a reason’ West Ham’s new £40m man was linked with a host of top clubs.
‘There’s a reason top clubs wanted Kilman’
“Kilman has shown himself to be a very capable Premier League centre-back over the last few seasons for Wolves,” Procter told Hammers News.
“One of the best things about him is that he is so durable. He played every single minute of Wolves’ 2023/24 Premier League campaign – only one other outfielder in the division managed to do this. In 2022/23 he played 37 out of 38 games and in 2021/22, he played 30 out of 38. He is hardly ever injured.
“The next best thing about Kilman is that he is a simply brilliant ball-player and rarely turns over possession. He is fantastic at breaking the lines and is fairly decent at pinging long balls out wide to full-backs and wingers too.
“Having been no stranger to operating on the right of a back three, Kilman’s passing with his weaker right foot is actually very good. He also occasionally carries the ball out of defence if he can, and he moves with impressive elegance for someone who is 6ft 4in tall.
‘Elegant and durable but don’t weigh him down with captaincy’
“Kilman was criticised by some Wolves fans last term but I did feel this was often harsh. While he may not be an aggressive, dominant or speedy player, Kilman does most of the basics really well.
“He was made captain last season after Ruben Neves left in the summer, and some never quite warmed to him wearing the armband, as he wasn’t so vocal like his predecessors Conor Coady and Neves, but he did grow into the role as the season went on after it looked like it was weighing a bit heavy early on.
“West Ham have probably slightly overpaid for Kilman. But he’s a dependable, durable and versatile player that Lopetegui was certainly fond of at Molineux and a lot of the criticism of him on social media has been a bit over the top.
“There is a reason that other clubs like Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been linked with him this year. If paired with a more natural leader – he was much better for Wolves last term when Craig Dawson was fit and in the backline with him – then he could well be a fantastic signing.”
