West Ham have responded to claims that Max Kilman could be sold to Crystal Palace in January as Nuno Espirito Santo plots big changes.
It is widely agreed in West Ham circles that Tim Steiden’s £155m splurge last summer has set the club back years.
Evidence of that is provided by London rivals Crystal Palace who have caught and surpassed the Hammers on a much smaller budget and playing better football under Oliver Glasner.
While West Ham have regressed badly after selling Declan Rice and failing to invest the funds well, Crystal Palace have gone from strength-to-strength despite selling some of their top players.
One of the biggest talking points around Steidten’s wasted millions has been Max Kilman.
Kilman the poster boy of Steidten’s wasted West Ham millions
Eyebrows were raised when West Ham forked out a whopping £40m to sign Kilman from Wolves.
It is too extreme to say Kilman has been a flop – but some of his meek performances have left a lot to be desired in east London.
The defender has been having a torrid season and West Ham fans had been calling for him to be dropped of late.
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But in the vital 3-1 victory over Newcastle at the weekend, Kilman put in his best performance yet for West Ham.
Kilman was one of five Hammers with a 10/10 score in the shock victory which has breathed new life into West Ham’s season and hopes of survival.
Max Kilman was imperious in his best West Ham performance yet vs Newcastle United
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Almost immediately, though, there has been a report linking the defender with a swift exit to Crystal Palace.
Now the Hammers have made their position clear on claims Kilman could be sold to the Eagles with Nuno Espirito Santo planning some big changes in January.
Football Insider sources have been claiming Glasner is a big fan of Kilman and wants him at Palace to replace Marc Guehi.
West Ham actually scuppered Guehi’s big move to Liverpool on deadline day in the summer by signing Igor Julio after he had already done a medical at Crystal Palace.
West Ham respond to claim Kilman will be sold to Crystal Palace
Guehi could move on in January for a reduced fee after making it clear he will leave for nothing in the summer when his contract expires.
It is claimed Palace have identified Kilman as the man to replace him.
Hammers chief David Sullivan leaked the club’s transfer plans for January to a top Sky Sports reporter recently.
Nuno will be backed with at least three signings as West Ham target a defender, midfielder and striker as a bare minimum.
West Ham United v Newcastle United - Premier League
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Until the weekend, that looked like being bad news for Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo – who had both been desperately poor.
But the pair put in commanding displays to give hope they may be able to turn their West Ham careers around.
Either that or convince another club – like Palace – to pay a decent fee which the Hammers can reinvest in new signings for Nuno.
Hammers News reached out to the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners about the Kilman claims.
It was put to the Hammers’ hierarchy whether Kilman could be sold to Palace in January.
Hammers kill Kilman claim but Nuno is plotting defender signing
The response puts any prospect of West Ham selling Kilman to Palace to bed – for now at least.
Even though Hammers News understands Nuno is definitely planning to sign a new centre-back in the winter window.
“No truth (to claim Kilman will be sold to Palace),” the top spokesman for West Ham’s board told Hammers News.
Nuno is thought to be a fan of Kilman – although he was not the manager who made him captain at Wolves, as has been incorrectly reported elsewhere.
That was ex Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who pushed for Steidten to sign him for £40m.
While Nuno may be a fan of Kilman, he is actively searching for a new centre-back for January.
And it was telling that Nuno switched Kilman and Todibo to right and left centre-back respectively in the win over Newcastle and both looked far more comfortable.