Ukraine star worth MORE than Mudryk is West Ham's perfect signing

Cameron Smith

• 8 Jan 2024 13:27 CST
• 3 min read

David Moyes’ long-term pursuit of Wolves captain Max Kilman looks set to end in disappointment, with the Englishman looking unlikely to leave Molineux.

The West Ham United manager has wanted to sign Kilman for several months, but the Hammers’ chances of landing the ex-Maidstone United defender look slim at best.

Kilman has played a crucial role in Wolves’ impressive form under Gary O’Neil this season and after Napoli saw an approach knocked back during the summer window, it seems as though Wolves are desperate to keep hold of their captain.

However, not all hope is lost for West Ham as their perfect alternative to Kilman has been revealed.

West Ham should sign Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarnyi

Illia Zabarnyi was one of Ukraine’s standout players as they reached the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, with the young defender playing every single minute of their run to the last eight.

As a result, he was touted for a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but Bournemouth won the race for his signature in 2022, with the Cherries spending €22.7 million to sign him from Dynamo Kyiv.

Since then, Zabarnyi has gone from strength to strength and his transfer value has exploded.

The Ukrainian was worth €15.4m when he joined Bournemouth, according to FootballTransfers’ in-house Player Valuation Model, and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) now stands at a whopping €34.3m.

That figure makes him the most valuable Ukraine player in the world, ahead of Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko (€31.4m) and Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko (€28.1m).

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk - who joined the Blues for an initial €70m in January 2023 - is worth just €24.9m after a poor first year at Stamford Bridge.

Zabarnyi has been a key player in Bournemouth’s recent revival under Andoni Iraola, with the Cherries picking up 19 points from the last 24 available in the Premier League.

Their form has seen them climb up to 12th place in the English top flight table and they now have aspirations of European football, rather than fears of relegation.

According to data analytics experts SciSports, Zabarnyi would be perfect for West Ham - Moyes’ side rank as his best transfer option, as per SciSports’ Career Advice tool.

The Ukrainian would be an immediate upgrade on West Ham’s current options and would likely partner Nayef Aguerd as the heart of Moyes’ backline if the Hammers were to pursue a move.

Furthermore, Lucas Paqueta is the only West Ham player with more potential than Zabarnyi, according to SciSports. The Brazilian currently has a SciSkill potential rating of 109.9, while the Bournemouth man’s potential stands at 109.6.

West Ham are also interested in Zabaryni’s team-mate Dominic Solanke and while a double swoop wouldn’t be welcome on the south coast, it would be the perfect move for West Ham to elevate their squad to the next level.