Liverpool conceded 26 goals in the Premier League last season (0.68 goals per game), keeping 21 clean sheets from 38 games (55%), but Jurgen Klopp’s men have fallen way short this campaign – the Reds have already shipped 28 goals in 23 games (1.2 goals per game) and only have eight clean sheets (34%).
Klopp isn’t short of options at centre-back with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Nat Phillips, but Matip and Konate have been sort of playing time due to injury while Phillips has fallen down the pecking order, so it’s little wonder Liverpool are being linked with Max Kilman.
According to Ben Jacobs in his Caught Offside column, the Reds could battle Tottenham Hotspur for the 25-year-old’s signature. Kilman joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from Maidenhead United in 2018 and has gone on to make 94 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal with two assists.
Kilman is joint-first in the Wolves squad for clearances per game (4.6),second for shots blocked per game (1.1) and second for aerial duels won per game (2.3), so he’s proven himself an aerially dominant defender that puts his body on the line to protect his goalkeeper.
The 6ft 4in Englishman has been a regular at centre-back for Wolves, making 28 appearances this season, but his future might be away from Molineux. Kilman still has three-and-a-half years remaining on his deal, but he might consider his future if the Old Gold suffer relegation.
Pete O’Rourke told Give Me Sport in 2022 than Kilman could cost around £40m, so that might be how much Liverpool or Tottenham have to pay to procure his signature this summer. That being said, it remains to be seen how high the 25-year-old is on a list of potential targets, as Liverpool are sure to prioritise signing a defender and will want to mull over many options.
Matip has made 18 appearances across the board this season but has started just nine league games after a calf problem kept him out for weeks. Konate has played only five times in the top-flight due to a knee injury and muscle problem too. As for Phillips, he’s fallen down the pecking order and has been an unused substitute for much of the campaign, so Klopp needs reinforcement.
The same can be said of Tottenham, as the North Londoners are also seemingly in the market for another defender this summer, with Kilman on their radar.
