1. He has made his way up from non-league to the Premier League
Maximilian Kilman’s footballing journey has taken him all the way from the sixth tier to the Premier League. After spells in the academies of Fulham and Gillingham, it was at south-east London side Welling United that he made his first senior appearance, before his real breakthrough came at Maidenhead United. He made 34 appearances in the National League for the Mapgies – managed by Hammers legend Alan Devonshire – catching the eye of Wolves for his big move.
2. He has represented the Three Lions – at futsal
During his time in non-league, Kilman earned 25 caps for the England national futsal team – the indoor version of the game played by teams of five players. It represented a rise to the pinnacle of the game he started playing as a teenager – alongside his eleven-a-side football – for Genesis Futsal Club. He continued to play futsal for London Helvecia during his time at Maidenhead and last played for England in 2018.
3. His meteoric rise took him to Wolves in 2018
He went straight from the National League to the Premier League when Wolverhampton Wanderers took him to the Midlands in August 2018. His Wolves debut arrived at the end of his first season in Old Gold, when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 Premier League victory over Fulham on 4 May 2019. In doing so he became the first player since Chris Smalling a decade earlier to head straight from non-league to the top-flight, without making appearances on loans in between.
4. He quickly made his mark in Europe
Maximilian’s full Wolves debut came not in the Premier League, but on the European stage. He made his first start for the Molineux club in a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg tie against Armenian side FC Pyunik in August 2019. Wolves won 4-0 that evening, to complete an 8-0 aggregate success and Kilman would go onto make five continental appearances that campaign as Nuno Espírito Santo’s men reached the quarter-finals, where their run was ended by eventual trophy-winners Sevilla – then managed by Julen Lopetegui.
5. He completed his first century of Premier League appearances last season
Kilman became a regular starter in the top flight for Wolves in the 2021/22 campaign – and has not looked back since. In fact, he completed his first century of appearances in the competition in the early part of last season and played 127 Premier League games in Old Gold – and 151 in total across all competitions – prior to completing his move to east London on Saturday.
6. He was one of only two Premier League outfield players to play every single minute in 2023/24
Maximilian has proved to be an extremely reliable performer for Wolves, and that amounts to his durability too, as he has missed just one Premier League game in the past two seasons and only nine out of the last 114 starts. In fact, he was one of only two outfield players across the entire division who played all 3,420 minutes of Premier League action last season. The other was Arsenal’s William Saliba.
7. He has been a regular captain at Wolves
Kilman will bring leadership skills to east London too, having been appointed skipper at Wolves for the 2023/24 campaign, following Rúben Neves’ move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. His 38 appearances with the armband were not his first in the Premier League however, as he was named skipper on four occasions the previous season under the management of Julen Lopetegui, who, of course, he will be reunited with at London Stadium.
8. He would love to join Jarrod Bowen in the England squad
Having already turned out for the Three Lions at futsal, Maximilian would love to complete a unique double by representing England at full senior level too, Speaking in an interview with the Guardian in April, he said: “I’m not going to give up until it is impossible. I know I’ve got to improve but I know I’m doing really well as well; I am definitely competing with the other centre‑backs in the Premier League. Before, my goal was to become a regular at Wolves and now my goal is to play for England and that’s the next step. I think I’ve been consistent the last couple of seasons, and I think I’m really pushing to be in the squad. It is my dream to play for England.”
