One of the most expensive Premier League transfers of the summer will massively benefit a semi-pro non-league club, potentially changing its future beyond recognition.
West Ham United this week completed the signing of Max Kilman from Wolves in a deal worth £40 million.
Wanderers have made a tidy profit on the transfer, having signed the centre-back from Maidenhead United for just £40,000 in 2018.
The Berkshire outfit, who play in the fifth tier of the English football pyramid, smartly put a sell-on clause in the deal. Although we don’t precisely know how much the National League club is in line to receive, it’s been reported that it’s somewhere in the region of £4-8m.
That would be an historic windfall for a non-league team, possibly the largest transfer payment a club at that level has ever received. And it will go a long, long way to transforming their outlook.
“Tremendously proud,” Maidenhead chairman Peter Griffin told Sky Sports News about Kilman’s transfer. “When Max was with us, we knew he was a real talent but I’d be lying to say I knew how good his talent was. His attitude has helped him progress and we’re delighted for him.
“There’s always a negotiation about price and we always put a sell-on clause in. Sometimes it pays off. It’s fair to say this is a big deal.
“It’s an amount that could profoundly change the course of the club. We’re a part-time team competing in the Nations League, but we have a women’s team, a development squad for girls, an academy and a community scheme.
“The money coming in is not just going to affect the men’s first team, it’s going to affect the women’s team, what we do in our community and the infrastructure.”
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