Sports
West Ham set sights on signing Premier League “monster”
Don’t say it too loudly, but things are starting to look up for West Ham United.
Sure, the East Londoners remain in the relegation zone and five points off safety, but they’ve also won their last two Premier League games.
More than that, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have fully deserved both wins, one away at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and the other at home to the high-flying Sunderland.
In more good news, if reports are to be believed, West Ham are still looking to make moves in the market and could land someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Max Kilman.
West Ham target Kilman upgrade
To say that West Ham have been busy in the transfer market this month would be quite an understatement.
On top of seeing a number of stars leave, the Hammers have secured the services of two forwards in former Lazio ace Taty Castellanos and former Gil Vicente star Pablo Felipe.
As if that wasn’t enough, the club are also seemingly close to agreeing a deal for Fulham star Adama Traoré, with transfers expert Fabrizio Romano giving the move the ‘here we go treatment’ on Saturday morning.
Seemingly not content with just three first-team additions, the East Londoners are now also looking at someone who could be the perfect upgrade on Kilman.
At least that is according to a recent report from Football Insider, which claims West Ham are once again interested in Harry Maguire.
The report has revealed that, with the Englishman’s contract expiring in the summer, the Hammers have set their sights on him and are now considering making a move for him.
However, the report makes it clear that other sides are also on alert over the 32-year-old’s situation, with Everton being another interested party.
It could therefore be a complicated deal to get over the line, but whether it’s this month or in the summer, West Ham should do all they can to sign Magurie as he’d be a brilliant addition and a big upgrade on Kilman.
Why Maguire is an upgrade on Kilman
Now, were this move to go through, there would undoubtedly be some who frame it as West Ham signing a player who failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United.
However, while that may be true to a certain extent, it’s important to remember that the former Leicester City star moved to the Red Devils in the summer of 2018 and, as of the time of writing, has made 258 appearances for them.
So, while he might not have had the best reputation during his time at Old Trafford, the reality is that he has been a useful player for arguably the biggest club in the world.
Moreover, just because he didn’t become the superstar so many thought he would for United, does not mean he couldn’t become a great player for relegation-threatened West Ham.
In fact, his experience of being counted out only to come back time and time again is one of the reasons he could prove so useful for the Hammers, as when battling the drop, you need incredibly resilient players, especially at the back.
Furthermore, the Sheffield-born “monster,” as dubbed by Football analyst and host of The Overlap Breakdown H, has experience of winning silverware and playing for England at the very top level, so pressure is something he’s shown himself capable of dealing with.
Finally, when you simply compare his statistics to Kilman’s, it’s easy to see who the better defender is.
|
Maguire vs Kilman |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics per 90 |
Maguire |
Kilman |
|
Goals |
0.20 |
0.00 |
|
Assists |
0.20 |
0.00 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
81.61% |
88.2% |
|
Long Passes Attempted |
5.5 |
4.5 |
|
Crossing Accuracy |
50% |
33.33% |
|
Forward Passes |
14.3 |
12.4 |
|
Aerial Duels won |
3.1 |
2.7 |
|
Aerial Duel Success |
69.23% |
58.23% |
|
Ground Duel Success % |
46.15% |
44.9% |
|
Interceptions |
0.6 |
0.5 |
|
Clearances |
5.5 |
6.4 |
|
All Stats via Squawka for the 25/26 PL |
||
For example, according to Squawka, the England international comes out on top in most metrics, including things like ground and aerial duels won, interceptions, forward passes, crossing accuracy, and more, all per 90.
In other words, he’s someone who can do the defensive basics better than the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man, but he is also more progressive with the ball at his feet.
Ultimately, while some may oppose this deal, West Ham should do all they can to sign Maguire, as he’d be a great signing and a clear upgrade on Kilman.
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