West Ham’s £40m new signing Max Kilman says he has not abandoned his England aims.
Kilman left Wolves this summer after six years, signing a six-year deal to become one of the central pillars in what has been an impressive summer recruitment campaign for the Hammers.
The 27-year-old was one of only two outfield players – Arsenal’s William Saliba was the other – to feature in every minute of the 2023-24 Premier League season and he was, at times, mentioned around a possible England call-up under Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024.
Interim England manager Lee Carsley will choose his first squad at the end of the month for Nations League games against Ireland and Finland.
“It is definitely a big aim for me,” 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.”
When Wolves put a £40m price tag on Kilman following West Ham’s initial approach, it was not certain it would be met.
But West Ham technical director Tim Steidten has been on a mission this summer after David Moyes’ influence on the club’s transfer policy was removed at the end of the season.
By the time Aaron Wan-Bissaka completes his move to the London Stadium from Manchester United, West Ham will have spent in excess of £130m, a figure only surpassed by Chelsea and Aston Villa in the Premier League so far this summer.
In addition to Kilman, West Ham have already signed German forward Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund for £27m, last season’s EFL Championship player of the year Crysencio Summerville from Leeds for £25m, midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who won the Copa America with Argentina this summer on a free transfer after his release by Real Betis, and teenage Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme for £25.5m from Palmeiras.
In addition, highly-rated defender Jean-Clair Todibo has joined on loan from Nice, with West Ham committed to paying £34.2m for the 24-year-old in 12 months’ time.
Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui is clearly a fan of Kilman, having worked with the defender for half a season when he guided Wolves to safety in 2023.
As a south Londoner, Kilman has embraced the chance to return to the capital, even if it is not a move he expected to make.
“I never thought I would leave Wolves,” he said. “I was there for so long, so this is something a bit unusual but I was born and raised in London, which makes it a bit easier and I am really happy to be at West Ham.
“The manager is obviously a big factor. He did a really good job at Wolves. There are not many teams who have started bottom of the league at Christmas and stayed out of it.
“He had really high standards and wanted every player to reach the top of their game. That is what he has done really well in his career. He has pushed players to their limits. He helped me improve so much.”
