West Ham United's dream of earning a spot in one of the continent's three European competitions for the fourth season running is well underway as the Hammers are currently sitting sixth in the Premier League.
David Moyes has his side flying yet again. However, the East London club will need to improve defensively if they are to keep up in the fight for the top seven as the Europa League champions have conceded more goals this term than Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, who have all suffered woes at the back.
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Nevertheless, Moyes is keen to rectify this over the coming weeks and has set his sights on an expensive target to sign before the end of the transfer window.
West Ham United transfer news – Max Kilman
According to talkSPORT, West Ham are keen to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers' captain Max Kilman this month. The report claims that Moyes is a massive admirer of the central defender and first ignited interest in the 26-year-old during the summer window once the club received £105m from Declan Rice's sale.
Nevertheless, the Hammers won't be able to sign Kilman for cheap as the player has recently signed a new contract with Wolves, keeping him at the Midlands club until 2028. Serie A champions Napoli had a £30m offer for Kilman rejected before the 2023/24 campaign commenced and it has been reported that Wolves are holding out for around £40m for his services.
West Ham have been left quite bare at the back this week with Thilo Kehrer and Kurt Zouma absent through illness and injury, while Nayef Aguerd will be missing for a few weeks as the Moroccan is competing in the AFCON this month. Moyes could add depth and quality to his defensive department with the addition of Kilman.
Max Kilman's stats this season
The best ability is availability and this is one of Kilman's greatest traits. The left-footed right centre-back has played every single minute possible for Wolves this season as Gary O'Neil's side find themselves merely three points off the competition's European places.
Availability in defence is one thing that West Ham are struggling with at the moment. An unlikely duo of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna have started the last two matches for the Hammers and managed to keep back-to-back clean sheets. However, the pair have made a combined total of 13 appearances in the Premier League this term.
Furthermore, Ogbonna has been with West Ham for almost nine years and is now 35, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. This means that there could be a place in Moyes' squad very soon but the manager could have the perfect replacement for Ogbonna in the heart of the defence.
Goals
0.5
0
Expected Goals
0.4
0.01
Progressive Passes
3.35
0.89
Passes To Final 1/3
3.35
0.89
Tackles
1.3
0.71
Tackles Won
0.57
0.26
Interceptions
1
0.53
Aerial Duels Won %
73.2
66.7
Errors
0.1
0.18
Stats via FBref
Kilman is a clear upgrade on Ogbonna and boasts better stats in and out of possession which could greatly improve West Ham's defensive solidity. Additionally, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher even praised Kilman as a "no-frills" centre-back.
Nevertheless, Mavropanos may have played his way into West Ham's starting lineup permanently. The Greece international has made just five league starts this season, three of which came in the team's last three outings. West Ham haven't conceded in any of these last three matches and Mavropanos even scored a header in a 2-0 win away at Arsenal last Thursday.
With Mavropanos looking undroppable, Kilman could be utilised as his long-term defensive partner as both men are the same age. Given Kilman is left-footed, he could easily slot into the left-sided centre-back position to partner the former Gunners man.
While pricey, Kilman could be the perfect signing for West Ham to bolster their backline this winter ahead of the second half of the campaign, provided Wolves are willing to let their skipper leave.