Carlton Cole: Max Kilman Is Perfect For Julen Lopetegui's West Ham

Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole believes Max Kilman will be a “great addition” to his old club’s squad.

West Ham completed the signing of the centre-back from Wolvers this week, paying £40m for his services.

Kilman worked with new West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui at Molineux before the manager’s exit prior to the start of last season.

The Hammers finished ninth last season and they are 7/1 with football betting sites to push on and secure a top-six finish in Lopetegui's first season at the London Stadium.

And Cole, who currently works as West Ham’s loan manager, believes Kilman is a “great signing” for his former club.

"I’ve seen Kilman play many times and I know he used to play futsal for England, which just shows he’s got great ball control," Cole told Gambling.com in an exclusive interview.

"I think he is going to be a good defender for West Ham. He is one of those players that will suit Lopetegui’s style, playing out from the back and coming out with the ball to start the attack.

"I think he’s going to be a great addition to what we have already. 

"Lopetegui has gone for certain players that are ball playing, and he’s worked with him before so he knows what he can do already. It’s a great signing for West Ham, and also for him. 

"The fee doesn’t concern me nowadays. That’s down to the clubs to decide and it’s just down to what the player can produce on the pitch which is the main thing. 

"Does the fee warrant him playing week in, week out? I think he will be playing regularly and he is going to grow with West Ham."

The Hammers, who are slight favourites on betting apps to beat Aston Villa in their season opener, are reportedly on the lookout for another defender, with Kurt Zouma entering the final year of his contract at the London Stadium.

A number of defenders have been linked with the Hammers, but Cole hopes Zouma stays put.

“I know Zouma personally and I would be sad to see him go as he was a good captain for us last season, but at the same time, you just don’t know what the manager wants. Does he fancy Zouma as a player? 

“He’s a great character to have around the club, but Lopetegui might want to bring someone else in. There is also the fact that the club may have to balance the books, which all Premier League clubs have to consider in regards to wages now. 

“Kurt is a player that I would like to retain, but if the manager thinks his time at the club is up, the time is up.”  

West Ham are also thought to be looking to add another right-back to the ranks, with Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters on their radar. And Cole believes the former Tottenham man would be a fine player for West Ham.

“I’ve been a big fan of Walker-Peters, even though he is ex-Spurs! He has always shown promise, is a fantastic talent and is a great defender,” Cole added.

“I really like the link with him so hopefully he sees the value in coming to West Ham. He just needs somewhere to grow and I think West Ham is the right place for him.” 

Jarrod Bowen spent much of last season playing as a central striker for West Ham, while Michail Antonio is now 34 years of age and increasingly injury-prone.

Cole, who scored 68 goals during his time as a frontman for West Ham, has also discussed his former club’s links with attacking trio Kelechi Iheanacho, Alexander Sorloth and Tammy Abraham, and named his preferred target.

“I like Iheanacho, but I feel he has a lot of inconsistency at times. He will have a great hot streak and then you won’t see him for the rest of the season. 

“Abraham has always been a player I’ve admired. I know that he wants to conquer the Premier League so he might be one for West Ham. He reminds me of a young version of myself actually! 

“I think I would go with Abraham over all the strikers linked, as he can run in behind and hold the ball up, even though I think he could improve on that. 

"Although depending on how Lopetegui wants to play, he might not need to do that and instead play on the shoulder which he is also good at. 

“He’s a fox in the box as they say. I like the sound of Abraham and I think he would be well suited for West Ham.”

The Hammers, who won the 2022/23 Europa Conference League, will hope to continue their good cup form in recent seasons. They are 40/1 with the UK betting sites to win the FA Cup next season.

But they may have to do without Lucas Paqueta, who faces an uncertain future.

The Brazil international has been linked with a return to his homeland after being charged by the FA for alleged betting offences, and Cole admits West Ham are in a difficult position.

“Obviously it doesn’t look like things have gone his way in regards to the betting scandal, but hopefully we can get over this situation as there has been a lot of uncertainty over his future,” Cole said.

“I don’t know what the club's mindset is towards it, but West Ham want to keep him. 

"I hear Lopetegui has come out and said he is more than welcome to stay, but at the same time we’ve got to understand that there are bigger and nastier elements lurking around the corner. 

“We just don’t know what’s going to happen with him. I am hoping that it gets dealt with in the correct way and there isn’t such a harsh situation for him to deal with. 

"Hopefully he can get over this period of his life and start focusing on his football again.”

Danny Ings could also be on his way out after struggling for minutes last season. Southampton are also interested, but Cole believes Ings still has a role to play in east London.

“It hasn’t happened the way I thought it would for Ings at West Ham,” he said. “He was asked to play a certain style, in a certain system which did not suit the player. 

“My heart goes out to him as he has had to fit into something that hasn’t played into his strengths at the club. 

“However, with the new manager coming in, there will obviously be new ideas, a new structure, and a new system that may suit him, but at the same time you don’t know where the player's head is at.

“Does he now fancy being the main man somewhere else or does he fancy staying at West Ham and fighting for his place? 

“I would always try to stay and fight for my place, but obviously it’s completely different circumstances with him. He isn’t getting any younger at 31. 

"Southampton being his former club might tempt him to go back down south, so it really depends on what he wants to do at the end of the day. 

“I personally like Ings and I know what he brings to the table. He is a finisher but you need to get him in the right positions to finish off those chances that come along.”