Wolves captain Max Kilman could be sold this summer and Gary O’Neil will need to find a replacement for the Englishman.
Max Kilman has attracted a whole host of clubs after a solid 2023/24 campaign for Wolves.
Man United and Tottenham have shown interest while West Ham submitted a £25 million bid on Friday afternoon that was instantly rejected.
Wolves value the 27-year-old in the region of £45 million and last summer, turned down a £30 million offer from Napoli.
Gary O’Neil remains firm in his stance that he doesn’t want to sell Kilman, although he acknowledges that offloading his captain would give him extra leeway in the transfer market.
Here are three replacements O’Neil should consider signing if Kilman departs…
Jacob Greaves – Hull City
O’Neil could raid the Championship for a Kilman replacement by landing Hull City’s Jacob Greaves.
A left-footed, ball-playing defender whose English, there’s a lot to admire about the 23-year-old following his excellent campaign in East Yorkshire.
Greaves was Hull’s most important player under Liam Rosenior and played in all but three of their Championship games as they narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
The “magnificent” defender – as dubbed by Rosenior – was named in the division’s Team of the Season and looks ready for Premier League football amid interest from Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham.
Comfortable at playing on the left side of a back three or in a four-man defence, the £20m-rated Greaves could be an excellent replacement for Kilman.
Maxence Lacroix – Wolfsburg
Maxence Lacroix has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.
The 24-year-old played 28 times for Wolfsburg last term and like Kilman, is a left-footed ball-playing defender who averaged an 84% pass completion in Germany’s top flight.
Lacroix is an extremely quick and powerful operator and according to the Bundesliga official website, the Frenchman clocked the fifth-highest speed of any player in the division last term (36.13 km/h).
Dubbed an “elite” defender by journalist Tobias Kroger, Lacroix has previously attracted Premier League interest from Crystal Palace and Everton.
With his contract expiring in 2025, Wolves could land a cut-price replacement for Kilman if he leaves by landing Lacroix.
David Carmo – Porto
Wolves have been linked with a move for Porto centre-back David Carmo, who excelled on loan at Olympiacos last term, winning the Europa Conference League.
Reportedly valued in the region of £15 million, Carmo could be the perfect replacement for Kilman, adding greater stature and ability on the ball than the Englishman.
According to FBref, the Angolan international outranks the Wolves defender for progressive passes, aerials won and blocks, along with many other statistics.
The above table indicates how dominant the 24-year-old is in both boxes and would solidify the Wanderer’s defence while adding a threat in the opposition box.