Wolves will restart their Premier League campaign on Tuesday with a home tie against West Ham. The Old Gold will be aiming to add even more daylight between themselves and the three teams in the relegation zone.
Vitor Pereira is in a great position to retain the Old Gold’s top-flight status, but despite being nine points clear of 18th and 19th place Ipswich Town and Leicester City, the Wolves manager will know his side can’t take their foot off the gas just yet.
Wolves will welcome Graham Potter’s Hammers for their next league game — a matchup that could increase Wolves’ hopes of survival.
For one player, a return to Molineux will signal more than just an opportunity to get another three points, though.
READ: Rating every linked club’s chances of signing Matheus Cunha this summer
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Max Kilman a lot more error-prone since joining West Ham
Max Kilman joined West Ham last summer in a deal worth £40 million, ending a six-year-long spell in the Midlands.
Many Old Gold supporters didn’t want to lose their captain, but his move to West Ham made Kilman one of Wolves’ most expensive departures.
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Just how much of a void has the 27-year-old left at the heart of Wolves’ defence though?
Well, Emmanuel Agbadou’s arrival in January has certainly helped shore up the Old Gold’s backline. The Ivorian has been a rock since signing and looks to be building a solid partnership with Toti Gomes.
Interestingly, when comparing Kilman’s performances for Wolves and West Ham, it is clear he has become a lot more prone to making costly mistakes.
A stat graphic comparing Max Kilman's performances for Wolves and West Ham.
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During Kilman’s six years at Wolves, he made six errors leading to a shot on goal and just two leading a goal.
Surprisingly, despite making just 32 appearances for West Ham, the former Wolves skipper is already halfway to reaching the same numbers.
No harm done but can’t make same mistake again
Kilman’s exit wasn’t overly well received at the time, but it seems Pereira has done well to manage without the talismanic centre-back.
Fosun’s biggest error was not properly reinvesting Kilman’s fee during the same window he left. They appear to have made up for that mistake by bringing in Agbadou at the start of the year, though.
Now expected to stay up, Wolves must back Pereira again in the summer transfer window and give the 56-year-old the resources he needs to take the side from relegation contenders to European hopefuls.