If West Ham United supporters were asked to name their worst pound-for-pound signing in modern Premier League history, recency bias or otherwise, Max Kilman would feature pretty heavily in such discussions.
While most level-headed supporters have condemned the jeers which came his way on Sunday – Max Kilman was audibly booed at the London Stadium after giving away a penalty in the FA Cup quarter-finals – that ill-advised lunge on Brenden Aaronson was merely the latest in a sprawling collection of high-profile, costly mistakes.
Patience, with the ex-Wolves skipper, ran out a long, long time ago.
How do you feel about fans booing Max Kilman? 😳
‘Mistake’ is the word Nuno Espirito Santo used following Max Kilman’s disastrous, game-changing cameo in January’s 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge, by the way. It is also a pretty fitting description of the £40 million deal which made Kilman the most expensive centre-half in West Ham United’s history.
But as damaging as that investment has proven to be, at least the Hammers did not offer one of their most talented academy kids in exchange.
As ‘mistakes’ go, this would have been hard to top.
Newcastle offered Elliot Anderson for Max Kilman before West Ham United transfer
Max Kilman during West Ham United v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
For all of Eddie Howe’s complaints, blaming those pesky Profit and Sustainability Rules for Newcastle United losing the brilliant Elliot Anderson, the Magpies should not be allowed to sweep that offer under the carpet.
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Per talkSPORT and The Telegraph, Newcastle saw a player-plus-cash bid for Kilman rejected by Wolves shortly before West Ham got their man. In hindsight, offering what is now the Premier League’s most-coveted midfielder in Anderson for West Ham’s fourth-choice centre-back has aged about as well as Sean Connery’s disguise in You Only Live Twice.
Wolves, it goes without saying, will regret having rejected said offer.
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Anderson is now valued at over £100m with Manchester City keen
According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenburg, Nottingham Forest are demanding upwards of £100 million as Manchester rivals United and City go band-for-band in pursuit of England international Anderson.
Ahead of the very same summer, Kilman is facing a ‘bleak’ future with West Ham keen to sell and buyers unlikely to be queuing up out the door and down the street.
But as disastrous as the Hammers’ £40 million deal has proven to be, Newcastle were extremely lucky to avoid concluding a piece of business so hare-brained that it would have left Sir Alan Sugar swapping his firing finger for a more explosive piece of ammunition.
“He made a good game, especially for a player that was not involved for such a long period. He did a lot of good things,” Nuno said on Wednesday, defending Kilman from the boo boys.
“He handled the situation well and, at the same time, the group helped. I saw teammates going around him and supporting him which shows a lot of togetherness among ourselves, which is positive.”
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