If you asked the supporters to rank West Ham United’s summer signings in terms of prestige and star power, Niclas Fullkrug would probably be at the top of most people’s list.
In comes Germany’s first-choice number nine, in a £27 million deal from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
After spending years trying and failing to find a cure for that so-called striker curse, West Ham may have got the antidote at last in this old-school warrior of a centre-forward with his missing teeth and his spring-powered knees.
Joining Fullkrug on the podium may be Aaron Wan-Bissaka, one of the finest one-v-one defenders around arriving after half-a-decade at Manchester United. Perhaps Guido Rodriguez too, the World Cup winner who started the summer on Barcelona’s radar.
And then there’s Jean-Clair Todibo, the defender snapped up under the noses of Juventus and after a move to Old Trafford was scuppered by UEFA.
All of this is a rather long-winded way of reaching the point that Max Kilman, a £40 million acquisition from Wolverhampton Wanderers, had been somewhat forgotten amongst a sea of more high-profile names.
Max Kilman makes shining start to life at West Ham United
If West Ham’s first two Premier League outings under Julen Lopetegui are anything to go by, however, Kilman might just be the best – and most transformative – piece of business the London Stadium out do all summer.
Now, the sample size is small, of course. And West Ham lost at home to Aston Villa on Kilman’s debut.
But after conceding a staggering 74 league goals under David Moyes last term, and with neither Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma or Konstantinos Mavropanos impressing with any degree of regularity, the swagger, the confidence and the authority with which Kilman has gone about his business so far has been impossible to ignore.
Even Simon Jordan – tuning in to watch his beloved Crystal Palace – could not take his eye of the former Wolves captain as he put in well-timed tackle after well-timed tackle while driving West Ham forward from the back.
“I tell you what I looked at on Saturday, I’ll tell you who looks like a good buy, is Kilman,” the former Palace chairman tells talkSPORT after Lopetegui’s side triumped 2-0 over Oliver Glasner’s at Selhurst Park (27 August, 11am).
“He looked a player on Saturday against Palace. There is an England player in the making there. Really good player.
“Real quality.”
Former Wolves skipper looks like great business at £40m
Kilman, as you have probably heard, earned 25 caps for England’s futsal team. Maintain his current form, however, and a belated first cap for the Three Lions’ football division may soon be on it’s way at the age of 27.
Micah Richards, on Match of the Day, described Kilman as the ‘full package’.
A fine ball-carrier, a superb distributor and strong in the air at 6ft 4ins, Kilman certainly has most of the attributes modern-day managers look for in a centre-half.
“He’s a quality player, I mean only the three relegated teams conceded more than West Ham last season and that’s why I think he’s invested in him,” former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Richards said.
“In terms of positioning, in terms of organising the defence, in terms of playing out from the back and making tackles, I think he’s got the full package. I think he’s going to be a real star for West Ham.”
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