Wolves will be hopeful of having a transfer window stronger than last year in the summer however, journalist Johnny Phillips still thinks Gary O’Neil could part ways with one key player.
Last summer was nothing short of a disaster for Wolves, who faced significant financial restraints which left the squad short on depth ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The lack of movement in the transfer window not only had a detrimental effect on the depth but saw Julen Lopetegui leave his post just days before the start of the season, setting Gary O’Neil up to take on an incredibly difficult job at Molineux.
Thankfully, the Englishman has exceeded expectations as Wolves continue to thrive under his guidance, despite a recent influx of injuries exposing the shortcomings of the squad’s size.
Being forced to sell key players for profit with no room to manoeuvre replacements saw the depth of O’Neil’s team depleted before the season even began, something that cannot happen again this summer.
That being said, there are still expected to be departures, with a host of talent rumoured to have attracted interest from other clubs, leading Sky Sports journalist Johnny Phillips to discuss the future of club captain, Max Kilman.
Johnny Phillips thinks Wolves could part ways with Max Kilman on one condition
While the futures of Pedro Neto and Joao Gomes have been speculated throughout the 2023/24 campaign, there could also be a point made about the future of Kilman at Molineux.
In January, it was reported by talkSPORT that West Ham could ‘reignite’ their interest in the defender, whom David Moyes is a ‘long-term admirer’ of.
Wolves turned down a bid of £30m for Kilman last summer from Napoli however, there is a question to be answered over whether the 26-year-old could be sold this year, with other interest reported.
Journalist Johnny Phillips is one figure to talk on the Englishman’s future, telling the Talking Wolves podcast that he thinks the Old Gold would accept the right price for the centre-back ‘straight away’.
“Every player has a price, you can’t say ‘he’s not for sale’ that is nonsense. Kilman for example, if a huge bid came in for him, I think they’d accept it straight away.”
Selling Max Kilman could be a possibility for Wolves
While it would be difficult to imagine O’Neil wanting to offload Kilman, who is not only club captain, but has become an integral part of the manager’s back three, it’s not an impossible prospect.
There has been a lot of talk over the club’s stance on Yerson Mosquera, who will return from his successful loan spell at Villarreal in the summer, a loanee that will replenish Wolves’ back line without the need to spend.
Another factor that could be deemed as a strong point for the club to sell Kilman for the right price is the impact it would have on PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), given that Wolves spent just £40,000 to acquire him, a sale would provide a significant profit.
Added to that, the Englishman signed a new contract with the Old Gold last summer, making Phillips’ opinion on Kilman’s future a fair point to explore, in a transfer window that will rely solely on Fosun’s ability to spend.