Wolves look set to lose captain Max Kilman after weeks of speculation, with West Ham United having agreed a £40 million deal for the defender.
It has been suggested today that Wanderers have accepted a bid from the Hammers, having previously seen two rejected.
Wolves had initially been holding out for around £45 million.
But it wassuggested on Thursday morning that the club may have been willing to compromise, and now it seems only a matter of time that Kilman will join the London club.
Apparently, Kilman has already given the move the green light, so it would be a surprise at this point if a move did not come to fruition.
£40 million is fantastic business from Wolves.
And there is one man at Wolves who needs shouting out if this deal does now go through as expected.
Max Kilman may well be Matt Hobbs’ finest work at Wolves
Should this move go through at £40 million as is being widely reported, then Kilman will become the clubs’ fourth biggest sale ever.
Matheus Nunes (£53 million), Ruben Neves (£47 million) and Diogo Jota (£41 million, rising to £45 million) all fetched higher fees.
But there will be great satisfaction about the Kilman sale, because he only signed for Wolves for £40,000 from Maidenhead United.
Kilman came to Wolves back in the summer of 2018 and at the time, he became the first player in 12 years to go from non-league to the Premier League.
The man who scouted Kilman was Matt Hobbs, who was Wolves’ head of academy scouting at the time. He had seen Kilman playing for England against Wales in the Futsal Home Nations Championship in December 2016, as per ESPN.
Hobbs learned Kilman was at Maidenhead, and then Kilman was offered a trial at Wolves. He was signed by Wolves on the final day of the 2018 summer transfer window.
Fast forward six years, and Kilman is now on the verge of leaving Wolves for £40 million, with Hobbs undoubtedly playing a big part in setting the player’s valuation.
Obviously the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, Bruno Lage, Steve Davis, Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil all deserve props for helping to develop the player.
But Hobbs was the man who saw the potential right in the very beginning, with journalist Liam Keen today writing on X: “Matt Hobbs, who was in a scouting role at the time, fought really hard for Wolves to sign Max Kilman in 2018 for £40,000.
“The club almost turned him down but made a deadline day decision to bring him in. It’s turned out pretty well!”
Hobbs has been a great sporting director
There has been a lot of talk about other clubs being interested in Wolves players this summer.
But it may not be long now before there will be talk about interest in Matt Hobbs, because he was excellent so far in his role as sporting director.
He took up the position in November 2022, after technical director Scott Sellars departed.
Just a couple of months in, he helped Wolves land important players like Mario Lemina, Craig Dawson and Joao Gomes, and Wolves may not have survived relegation in 2022/23 without these additions.
It was tricky for him last summer because of the PSR worries, but Hobbs successfully guided Wolves out of murky waters, selling top players but also making smart additions such as Tommy Doyle.
And the whole time he has been in his role, Hobbs has been open with the fans. Whenever a new signing is made, he will always give an in-depth interview with the club, and explain to fans what that player is all about and how Wolves actually came to sign them.
It is a far cry away from the days of Sellars, who didn’t communicate half as much with the Molineux faithful.
Wolves have lots of great assets out on the pitch and in the dugout at the moment. But they also have a very important one in the boardroom in Hobbs.
