There was a five-minute spell in West Ham United’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace which offered a tantalising glimpse of this team’s potential.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui may have named an unchanged team from the opening weekend loss to Aston Villa but, between the 67th and 72nd minute, West Ham had four new signings on the field: Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Niclas Fullkrug and Guido Rodriguez.
Each provided flashes of what he will bring this team but Kilman, the £40million ($52.8m) defender secured from Wolverhampton Wanderers, offered more still.
The centre-half was excellent at the back and even showcased his offensive attributes when striding up-field before assisting captain Jarrod Bowen for his side’s second goal. Kilman was named man of the match and received a warm embrace from Tim Steidten, the technical director, post-match.
Kilman strides into midfield and sets up Bowen for his first goal of the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UocgfSGFjx
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 24, 2024
That charge into enemy territory was an indication of what Kilman will bring to West Ham this season. Neither Kurt Zouma nor Nayef Aguerd — the first-choice defensive partnership last season — showed those attacking traits. Declan Rice had been one of the few players at West Ham capable of such a solo run, culminating in either the midfielder scoring himself or providing an assist for a team-mate. That has been missed since his £105m departure to Arsenal.
Through that one sequence of play, Kilman showed he is more than capable of contributing offensively.
“(For my assist) I looked up and had a lot of space, and I know Jarrod has a lot of quality, and the finish was top class,” said Kilman. “To get a clean sheet and win away from home means everything.”
Lopetegui’s methods clicked in that five-minute spell with Kilman and Wan-Bissaka, signed from Manchester United for £15m, playing pivotal roles. Kilman’s run was not dissimilar to Wan-Bissaka’s 50-plus yard sprint before Tomas Soucek’s opener.
Wan-Bissaka was excellent against his former club (Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images)
Although the midfielder did not name-check his team-mates, Soucek was full of praise for their contributions. “What impressed me most was the way we played from the back,” he said. ”I was happy with the way we pressed our opponent, but I could also find things we could improve. We gave them many chances to score, so there’s still things to work on.
“We have a lot of new players and it feels like joining a new team, but we now fight for this new team, (this) new era. I just hope that we do well because the goal is to qualify for Europe again.
“Hopefully we will continue to make more improvement on the field because today we did many good things.”
Kilman praised Wan-Bissaka’s impact, but it is the former Wolves captain who has demonstrated in back-to-back games why Lopetegui made the centre-back his first-choice transfer target. He is already on the path to justifying that £40m fee and, while the defensive pairing of Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo appears strongest on paper, Kilman has forged a solid defensive partnership with Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Lopetegui opted against singling out the former Maidenhead United defender for praise, choosing instead to highlight the team’s performance. But the fact Kilman ended the day trending on X was a strong indication of the thoughts of the West Ham faithful.
Lopetegui was impressed with aspects of West Ham’s performance (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
With the club open to offers for Zouma and Aguerd, Lopetegui felt Kilman could improve a defence that conceded 74 Premier League goals last term — the fourth-worst record in the division, with only relegated Sheffield United (104), Luton Town (85) and Burnley (78) shipping more.
Steidten gave the move the green light. Kilman worked with Lopetegui during the Spaniard’s 10-month stint as Wolves’ manager in the 2022-23 season. In his first interview with West Ham’s in-house media, the defender cited how the manager had improved him as a player. Last season he played every minute of Wolves’ Premier League campaign as they finished 14th.
A £30m offer from Italian side Napoli had also been knocked back last summer. Both West Ham and Newcastle registered interest earlier this summer, with the Londoners’ opening bid of £25m rejected. They eventually met Wolves’ asking price and, even at that lofty fee, the early indications are that Kilman could become one of the signings of the season based on his ball-playing ability, leadership and defensive traits.
Against Crystal Palace, he made six clearances, three interceptions and five recoveries.
Kilman played futsal for England on 25 occasions, but if he maintains his form he could fulfil a long-term ambition and earn senior recognition for his country. “It is definitely a big aim for me (to play for England),” Kilman told BBC Sport. “I have been competing against other Premier League central defenders in the last couple of years and I have been consistent.
“I want to get as high as I can as a player so playing for England would be a huge honour.”
Progressing from non-League to full international level would be reward for Kilman’s progress as West Ham revel in his presence.
(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
