Wolves pulled off a masterstroke selling Max Kilman for £40m, and one imminent transfer explains why

Wolves decided to let their captain Max Kilman leave for Premier League rivals West Ham this summer, and that transfer is made to look even greater now.

When the transfer window opened in the middle of June, not many would have expected Max Kilman to be Wolves’ big sale of the summer.

Gary O’Neil was told he had to sell at least one of his star assets and most assumed that would be one of Rayan Ait-Nouri or Pedro Neto however, with West Ham shelling out £40 million for Kilman, the club are now under less pressure to sell other players.

O’Neil never intended on selling his captain but when such an offer came in for the Englishman, it was one that the club couldn’t turn down as Matt Hobbs pulled off a masterstroke.

Kilman – who was initially signed for £40,000 from Maidenhead United – netted the club an incredible profit after being sanctioned for 1000% more.

Indeed, his sale is now made to look greater when looking at the prices that other players are going for.

Arsenal could sign Riccardo Calafiori for less than Wolves sold Max Kilman for

While Wolves are on the lookout for a new centre-back to replace Kilman this summer, Arsenal are another club aiming to bolster their defence.

The Gunners have targeted versatile Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori throughout this transfer window and are now on the verge of sealing a transfer for the Italian, who caught the eye at Euro 2024.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have ‘reached an agreement’ with the Serie A side over a €40m (£33m) deal ahead of the defender signing a five-year contract at the Emirates.

Remarkably, the initial fee for an international defender, who is still very young at the age of 22, is £7 million less than what Wolves received for Kilman from West Ham.

This just shows exactly why Hobbs pulled off an incredible masterstroke in receiving £40m for Kilman, who struggled towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Why Matt Hobbs pulled off masterstroke selling Max Kilman for £40m

In an increasingly inflated market, especially in England, it’s hard to find value but Arsenal on the verge of landing Calafiori for £33m looks like a steal.

That statement is made to look even more truthful when looking at how the Italian’s statistics match up against Kilman’s across the past year.

The above table shows that Calafiori is superior in almost every defensive and passing metric, aside from blocks, which explains why Arsenal could be landing a bargain.

It also demonstrates why shopping abroad for talent can be more beneficial, as West Ham paid £40m for Kilman, but if he came from a club in the Serie A, for instance, his value would be less.

In conclusion, Wolves deserve a huge pat on the back for receiving that much from their captain and Calafiori’s transfer is just one main reason.