Tottenham Hotspur have been keeping tabs on Max Kilman…
What’s the word?
That’s according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs, who revealed to the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ podcast that the north Londoners have “scouted” the Wolverhampton Wanderers defender, though are yet to make a formal offer for him.
“Tottenham have also, by the way, scouted Max Kilman historically, which is more of a domestic option,” he said.
“They’ve not made any kind of move over the course of this summer. Interesting, again, to see whether that changes. I don’t think that Wolves would like to sell.”
Should Spurs make a move for Max Kilman?
The 25-year-old signed a new long-term contract extension back in November, tying him down at Molineux until 2026 and it’s believed it would take in excess of £40m to lure him away from the Old Gold this summer.
“You’re probably thinking he is worth £40million plus. I think he could maybe be worth even more than that right now,” journalist Pete O’Rourke explained to GIVEMESPORT.
Shades of Jan Vertonghen
Kilman has emerged as one of Wolves’ standout players in recent times, notably last season when The Athletic’s Tim Spiers described him as “exceptional” and claimed that he was “heading towards the Neves/Jimenez/Neto bracket of players you’d fear Wolves could lose.”
Indeed, he finished the 2021/22 campaign as Bruno Lage’s second highest-rated player to feature in 20 or more games in the Premier League, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.87, which was better than the aforementioned duo of Ruben Neves (6.85) and Raul Jimenez (6.66).
Not only was he a colossus in the air, winning 2.2 aerial duels per game, but he also put in 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per outing, too, which suggests that he excels in reading the game.
But what is most interesting is his versatility and having come from a Futsal background, he is equally adept with the ball at his feet. Kilman is capable of playing left-back and in central defence, as shown by Transfermarkt.
That would earn plenty of similarities to that of former Lilywhites man Jan Vertonghen, who was a rock solid option for the club in both roles.
The Wolves colossus also ranked inside the top 14% for left-footed passes (33.9 per 90) and the top 12% for successful dribbles that led to a shot (0.03 per 90), when compared to his positional peers in the Premier League last season, via FBref.
Kilman, who has been described as “a brilliant professional” by Molineux teammate Conor Coady in the past, could well become Tottenham’s next Vertonghen, should sporting director Fabio Paratici follow up their initial interest in the centre-back with a firm bid.
On the above evidence, he is a proven Premier League talent and one that can play in multiple defensive positions, which would surely delight manager Antonio Conte.
So, it would make sense for Spurs to launch an offence before the end of the current transfer window on September 1st.
AND in other news, Paratici could repeat Dejan Kulusevski 2.0 with “explosive” £34m-rated gem…
