By Conor Hogan

Pound for pound, Max Kilman is West Ham’s worst centre-back of the Premier League era.

In fact, pound for pound, he may be the worst West Ham signing of the Premier League era. I don’t often resort to hyperbole or make statements this loaded, but amid the Hammers’ relegation crisis, it has to be said.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were beaten 3–0 by Manchester City this afternoon in a thoroughly one-sided contest. Kilman was directly at fault for two of City’s goals and partially culpable for the opener as well.

The decision to start the 28-year-old ahead of Konstantinos Mavropanos was baffling. While Kilman wasn’t solely responsible for the defeat, the Greek international would almost certainly have offered greater stability at the back.

The former Wolves defender continues to look like a constant liability in what is otherwise an improving West Ham side. Despite the significant upturn in form of his centre-back partner Jean-Clair Todibo, Kilman’s performances have remained consistently poor.

That only makes his £40 million move in 2024 all the more embarrassing. Never before have West Ham paid so much for a player who has delivered so little, for so long.

Yes, the club have endured worse players in the Premier League era – and worse centre-backs at that. Roger “The Relegator” Johnson springs to mind (and the fact that both Johnson and Kilman arrived from Wolves, while Craig Dawson went the other way, still feels cruel). 

But those players didn’t command such a fee, nor did they play such a prominent role during their time in East London. Others often cited among West Ham’s worst – Carlos Sánchez, Álvaro Arbeloa, Alex Král – didn’t command a transfer fee and rarely featured. 

Kilman, by contrast, has been a constant in the Hammers’ side, making 53 league appearances since his arrival. When you combine that with his price tag, he has to be considered one of the worst signings in the club’s history in terms of value for money.

To be clear, Kilman isn’t the worst player I’ve ever seen in a West Ham shirt – that dubious honour will always belong to the disastrous Roberto. 

But Kilman has caused significant damage, both to West Ham’s performances on the pitch and to the club’s finances.

And that, ultimately, is what makes the defender’s signing so indefensible.