£75M West Ham Duo Straining at the Leash

As West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos had a goal disallowed during Greece’s victory over England at Wembley last night, my thoughts turned to our other two central defenders.

Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo are currently training with head coach Julen Lopetegui at West Ham’s Rush Green training ground, while many of their teammates are away on international duty.

Todibo has represented France on two occasions, whereas Kilman has never played for England, apart from at futsal, which probably doesn’t count (sorry, Max).

Whilst it’s probably good for West Ham that our two first-choice central defenders are spending two weeks training together, I do wonder if international honours will come their way soon.

Arguably, England and France have the biggest pool of talent to choose from, so it could be harder for the £75m pairing to break through. With West Ham starting the Premier League season with a stutter, there won’t be too much attention on them. However, if the Hammers improve their form, I can see both players entering the conversation.

Todibo’s quality is undeniable—you don’t play for Barcelona and attract interest from clubs like Manchester United and Juventus if you’re not a top player.

As for Kilman, like many others, I thought £40 million was a steep price for the Wolves captain. But over the first two months of the season, he has looked like West Ham’s best and most consistent player. Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), and Ezri Konsa currently stand in his way, but under the right circumstances, Kilman could force his way into the England squad.

For now, both players are learning to play alongside each other, and I suspect the defensive unit will improve as a result over the next two weeks.