Hwang Hee-chan’s former teammate and Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Maximilian Kilman has left the club for a huge transfer fee, leaving his hometown club in the lurch.
“National League club Maidenhead United are set to receive a historic sum of money thanks to Maximilian Kilman,” global media outlet Sports Bible reported on Saturday.
The 6-foot-4 English defender has been with Wolverhampton since 2018 and has made 151 appearances for the first team over the past six years. He was named club captain in the 2023-2024 season and has been a key center back for the team, starting every league game.
Last season, Kilman led Wolverhampton alongside teammate Hwang Hee-chan. During the season, he and some of his teammates appeared on the YouTube channel “British Guy,” where they were asked by Hwang to try out a variety of foods, including sirloin, spicy ribs, kimchi dumplings, fish cakes, and hotteok. After expressing reservations about the fish cakes and kimchi dumplings, Kilman tried the hotteok and raved about how delicious it was.
After a great season with Hwang Hee-chan, Kilman has started a new chapter in his career ahead of the new season. West Ham United signed him for a transfer fee of £40 million (approximately $706 million). According to reports, the Hammers have signed Kilman to a seven-year deal.
Despite losing a key defender, Wolverhampton’s big transfer fee gives them the funds to sign new players. Kilman’s former club, Maidenhead United, also received an unexpected return.
Maidenhead currently play in England’s fifth tier, the National League. The National League is the highest tier of English semi-professional football, and if they 야설 win promotion, they will play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football and one of the professional leagues.
Kilman started playing futsal as a youngster after being released by Fulham’s youth team, and started playing for Maidenhead in 2015. He then moved to Wolverhampton in 2018 for a transfer fee of £40,000 (approximately $71 million).
According to the media, Maidenhead included one clause in the contract when they sent Kilman to Wolverhampton. Maidenhead would pay Kilman 10 percent of the transfer fee he would receive if he left Wolverhampton for another team in the future.
“National League side Maidenhead United inserted a sell-on clause when they sold Maximilian Kilman to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a mere £40,000 ($71 million), and it was a stroke of genius,” the publication explained.
“When Wolverhampton sold Kilman to West Ham for £40 million, Maidenhead earned £4 million because of the 10% sell-on clause.”
While £4 million may be a small sum for Premier League clubs, it’s a huge sum for fifth-tier Maidenhead.
Maidenhead chairman Peter Griffin celebrated the decision he made six years ago when Kilman moved to West Ham, saying on the club’s website, “Ultimately, this is one of the biggest transfer fees ever received by an English non-league club, so it’s something to celebrate.”