West Ham United’s new head coach Julen Lopetegui has wasted little time before returning to his old stomping ground to secure his first-choice summer transfer target.
Having initially had a £25million ($31.9m) offer rejected, Wolverhampton Wanderers are expected to accept West Ham’s improved £40m bid for their captain, Maximilian Kilman. The 27-year-old defender, who was the subject of interest from then Italian champions Napoli last summer, has made 151 appearances since joining Wolves from non-League side Maidenhead United in 2018.
So what type of player is Kilman? Do Wolves have replacements for him lined up? And is he the only defender Lopetegui is interested in signing? Let The Athletic’s West Ham and Wolves writers Roshane Thomas and Steve Madeley provide some answers.
Why do West Ham want Kilman?
Thomas: With the futures of Kurt Zouma, their captain, and Nayef Aguerd uncertain, they are in the market for a centre-back. Zouma is into the final year of his contract and Aguerd has attracted interest from previous club Rennes, so West Ham are open to offers for either player. Aguerd has changed his representative, joining the same agency as Zouma.
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Kilman worked with Lopetegui during the Spaniard’s 10-month stint as Wolves’ manager in the 2022-23 season. The defender was identified as a first-choice target by West Ham’s new head coach before Tim Steidten, the technical director, gave the move the green light.
There is an acceptance that West Ham were porous defensively last season, having conceded 74 Premier League goals — the fourth-worst record in the division, better than only the relegated trio of Sheffield United (104), Luton Town (85) and Burnley (78).
Why are Wolves willing to let Kilman go?
Madeley: Wolves had been reluctant to let their captain leave but, in the end, West Ham’s bids reached a level that was just too good to turn down.
Last summer, when Wolves were looking to raise money to avoid breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), some figures in the Molineux hierarchy were advocating for Kilman’s departure. The £30million fee they could have received would have represented almost pure profit in PSR terms, given he cost just £40,000 from fifth-tier Maidenhead six years ago. But ultimately, Wolves decided it was not enough money to outweigh the key attributes he brought to their team — comfort in possession, professionalism, pace and an excellent injury record.
Even though their PSR situation is much less acute a year later, the profit is just too big to reject. In purely monetary terms, Wolves believe they can replace Kilman and still end up with a significant financial gain.
What sort of player will West Ham be getting?
Madeley: Kilman’s main qualities are his reading of the game and his proficiency on the ball, but his durability is valuable.
The centre-half played every minute of Wolves’ Premier League 2023-24 season and started 37 of the 38 games in the previous one. He is almost always available, so West Ham will be getting plenty of bang for their buck.
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There are weaknesses to his game. Despite his 6ft 3in (194cm) frame, he does not always punch his weight physically and he thrives better when paired with a defender who relishes battling with a robust opposition striker. When Kilman is asked to fill that role himself, he can struggle.
How will he fit into Lopetegui’s style?
Thomas: Lopetegui wants West Ham to play attacking football with personality.
The team’s cautious approach was an issue under predecessor David Moyes, with most supporters feeling he failed to get the best out of his squad. Kilman can help West Ham play from the back — a style their defenders struggled with last season.
Off the field, Kilman would bring leadership qualities. Zouma was made captain after Declan Rice’s £105million departure to Arsenal last summer, but has been unconvincing in the role.
Win, lose or draw, Rice would front up, even when he faced criticism over his body language. With morale dropping as West Ham faced a relegation battle in the 2022-23 season, the England midfielder called for a team meeting, which sparked an improvement in performances. Zouma has failed to show signs of defusing situations in a similar way.
What was his relationship like with Lopetegui at Wolves?
Madeley: Lopetegui’s stay at Wolves was too brief for the Spaniard to form particularly close bonds with his players, but he did manage to forge a solid working relationship with Kilman. Lopetegui based his remarkable Wolves rescue act (bottom when he was appointed during the World Cup break that ran until just before Christmas, they took 31 points from 23 matches under him and were safe with three games to spare) on being solid at the back, especially at Molineux, and Kilman’s defensive partnership with Craig Dawson was critical.
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Lopetegui believed he could trust Kilman to follow instructions and saw him as a quiet leader in the dressing room, setting the example for team-mates with his approach to training and conditioning. Lopetegui considered Kilman’s brief stint in the Wolves academy — signed at age 21, he moved into the first-team squad almost immediately — as important to showing other young players the pathway.
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What other changes is Lopetegui expected to make?
Thomas: Lopetegui could appoint a new captain, with Zouma’s future in doubt as detailed above. Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Jarrod Bowen would be among the contenders, but Kilman’s leadership qualities would be attractive.
Kilman is not expected to be the sole defensive arrival this summer, either. Following the release of Angelo Ogbonna at the end of the 36-year-old’s contract and Ben Johnson’s free-agent departure to Premier League new boys Ipswich Town, the recognised options at centre-back are Aguerd, Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos, leaving Lopetegui short.
West Ham have had a £25million bid rejected for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo and are weighing up making an improved offer for the 24-year-old, two-cap Frenchman.
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How are Wolves planning to replace Kilman?
Madeley: Wolves have had a list of potential centre-back targets for most of the summer, with uncertainty surrounding Kilman and, to a lesser extent, fellow defender Yerson Mosquera. With Kilman on the verge of leaving, they will activate the search in earnest, with at least one new arrival expected to replace the departing captain.
Prominent on the list is 27-year-old Nico Elvedi of Germany’s Borussia Monchengladbach, a Switzerland international who was close to moving to Molineux a year ago until Wolves opted to sign Santiago Bueno from Spanish side Girona instead.
After signing a new contract running to 2027 last September, Elvedi is understood to have a release clause set at around £8.5million.
Wolves have watched and made exploratory enquiries about Dutch side Feyenoord’s Thomas Beelen (23), too. They have monitored David Carmo (24) of Portugal’s Porto and kept tabs on Hull City’s Jacob Greaves (23), who is the subject of strong interest from Ipswich. They could sign two centre-backs but Mosquera, who ended last season well on loan at Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga, will have a chance to impress in pre-season.
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(Top photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images))