West Ham fans will be left stunned by a new claim being made about Max Kilman by a source very close to majority owner David Sullivan.
There are very few West Ham players who will come out of this season – or the last 18 months for that matter – with their heads held high.
In fact it is a select group of three or four and includes Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tomas Soucek Crysencio Summerville and Max Kilman.
Wan-Bissaka will comfortably be named Hammer of the Year in his debut season after arriving from Man United for just £15m.
Kilman one of five Hammers who can hold head high
Until recently, though, it was Kilman who was jostling with his fellow summer recruit for that honour.
The Hammers did raise eyebrows by paying £40m to sign Wolves’ captain.
But the ball-playing centre-back quickly went about proving the doubts wrong by being West Ham’s most consistent player – alongside Wan-Bissaka – in a topsy turvy season.
Both players were reportedly on Thomas Tuchel’s 55-man England squad long list before he whittled it down to 26 for the March internationals.
Last month, leading football data analysts WhoScored revealed that Kilman is the best defender in the Premier League this season in terms of several key statistics. Bar none.
The essential art of defending is not allowing players to get past you and at your goal.
It is the fundamental factor to being a quality central defender.
And it was revealed there is not a single defender in the Premier League better than Kilman.
Despite West Ham’s poor defending as a team for much of the season – and a lack of protection from an ageing and immobile midfield – Kilman has generally been one of the constants.
Sullivan confidant’s shock Kilman claim will stun West Ham fans
While he has not always been as alert and authoritative on set pieces as he perhaps should be, Kilman has outshone the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and everyone else when it comes to stopping attackers getting past him.
On average, Kilman has been beaten by an opposition player just once every 10 games – miles ahead of the competition.
So supporters will be incredulous at a fresh leak from inside the club.
Because a David Sullivan confidant has made a shock Kilman claim that will leave West Ham fans stunned.
Sullivan has reverted back to being West Ham’s de facto technical director following the departure of Tim Steidten.
And according to top Hammers insider Sean Whetstone – who is close with co-owner Sullivan – the club, and presumably manager Graham Potter, are willing to sell Kilman after just one season.
Writing on Claret and Hugh, Whetstone says ‘Kilman is available to be sold if valuations are met by other clubs as part of Potter’s summer rebuild’.
Given Whetstone’s connections, this cannot be taken lightly.
West Ham are clearly considering moving Kilman on already, despite a largely impressive debut campaign.
There is a feeling among Hammers supporters that Kilman will grow even further in stature once the midfield is sorted and he has a regular central defensive partner.
Kilman ‘for sale’ despite solid debut season with Hammers
Yet now Hammers fans are being told the board and Potter are willing to sacrifice the defender to raise funds as the club continues to insist they have reached their PSR limit.
One look at WhoScored shows Kilman has been West Ham’s fifth best player overall this season.
He has an average match score of 6.75/10 – behind only Tomas Soucek (6.8/10), somewhat surprisingly Mohammed Kudus (6.85/10), Wan-Bissaka (7.02/10) and Bowen (7.07/10).
Kilman has been man of the match once.
To rub salt in the wound of the staggering news that Kilman is up for sale – Whetstone claims 40-year-old goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and right-back Vladimir Coufal, who turns 33 in August – could be offered new deals.
Whether Potter is being overruled by Sullivan and the board is anyone’s guess.
But it is staggering news given most fans would agree he is one player they should be building around not flogging after one season.
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