Credit: Manh Tung/Breaking Media

James Barker

Sat 4 April 2026 12:10, UK

Max Kilman is one of West Ham United‘s biggest boo-boys, but that may be slightly unwarranted as the defender has posted some impressive underlying stats this season.

The 28-year-old joined West Ham in the summer of 2024 for a big £40million fee from Wolves, and the size of his transfer fee has certainly worked against him at the London Stadium.

Indeed, the former Wanderers captain hasn’t lived up to the expectations that fee demanded of him, and has now faded into a backup role under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Kilman enjoyed a handful of excellent Premier League seasons for Wolves, and thus has proven himself more than capable of performing at the top flight level, which has further added to his Irons frustrations.

However, when peeling back the curtain, he’s actually registered some pretty impressive numbers over the course of West Ham’s 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

How good are Max Kilman’s underlying West Ham stats?

Kilman’s West Ham future is uncertain, with many supporters expecting to see him sold this summer regardless of what the outcome is in their Premier League survival battle.

In truth, a fresh start is probably needed for both parties, and at 28, the central defender is sure to want to see out the remainder of his prime years playing regular football.

He’s started 17 of his 21 Premier League appearances for West Ham this season, which is a stark reduction after playing in and starting all 38 league games for the Hammers last term.

On the whole, his performances have certainly regressed from last season to this one, but has he really been as bad as some make it out to be?

Well, as per Sofascore, plenty of his stats suggest there could be an element of truth to that.

He’s recorded a passing accuracy of 88 per cent, and a hugely impressive 95 per cent accuracy on passes inside his own half.

Kilman has also averaged 5.3 clearances, 2.0 balls recovered and 1.1 blocked shots per game this term, whilst also making zero errors leading to opposition shots or goals.

The big defender has a dribble success rate of 80 per cent per game, has won 57 per cent of his aerial duels and has conceded possession just 4.7 times per match this season respectively.

Now, Kilman has conceded two penalties this season, which obviously is disappointing, but on the whole, a lot of his numbers are actually very solid.

There is a good defender in Max Kilman

You don’t play over 180 times in the Premier League if you’re not a good player, especially as a centre-back, where you quickly get found out if you’re not up to the level.

Kilman evolved into an integral starting player and later captain for Wolves towards the end of his time at Molineux, helping the Old Gold record numerous solid mid-table finishes in the Premier League.

He even represented them a handful of times in the Europa League, and had you asked any Wolves fan at the time of his move to West Ham whether they thought the Hammers were getting a top defender, they would’ve said yes.

Kilman played every single minute of Wolves’ 2023-24 Premier League season, showing consistency and reliability, as well as a huge amount of trust from then-Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil.

So, whilst he’s not been at his best for West Ham in his second season, and hasn’t always passed the eye test, perhaps he deserves another chance to show what he can really do.