Hull City’s transfer work this summer will be fascinating to watch, as owner Acun Ilicali aims to avoid the mistakes of last year when the Tigers left much of their business until late in the window.
That left manager Tim Walter frustrated, and City well behind the eight ball, which in truth, they were never able to recover from and left them struggling to survive, relying on Luton Town being hammered at West Brom to stay in the league.
After spending a significant amount of money last term and still facing some of those transfer payments over the next few months, recruiting well and sensibly will be absolutely crucial.
There are numerous players coming to the end of their contracts this summer that will surely be of interest to the Tigers, but one player they should look to target is Plymouth Argyle’s Mustapha Bundu.
Bundu is a strong, pacey winger and is out of contract at Home Park this summer. Argyle have offered the 28-year-old fresh terms, but that deal has not yet been signed, and he’s expected to leave.
Argyle’s relegation was confirmed on Saturday after their last-gasp home defeat to Leeds United, who secured the Championship title with that 2-1 win. Incidentally, it was his effort which hit the post and cannoned into the net off Sam Byram which gave the hosts the lead against Daniel Farke’s men.
Like Bundu, manager Miron Muslic looks to be on his way out of Home Park after a four-month stint which saw the Devon-based club give themselves a fighting chance of survival with some eye-catching performances and results, before succumbing to a League One return.
During his spell, he also masterminded an FA Cup win over Premier League champions Liverpool. Muslic’s imminent exit will put a host of Championship clubs on red alert in search of new managers, but one of his success stories at Home Park has been the form of Bundu.
The Austrian-Bosnian is a big fan of the pacey Sierra Leone international, and it’s no surprise. Bundu has impressed in a struggling team, netting almost twice as many as City’s top goalscorer Joao Pedro. Bundu’s 11 goals is only one behind striker Ryan Hardie, and no player in the Argyle squad has more than his 18 goal involvements.
Before Muslic arrived, the former Anderlecht man had only netted three times with Argyle marooned at the foot of the table. Since then, not only did he give Argyle a fighting chance of survival with a flurry of wins, he was able to get the best out of the right winger.
“On a personal level, I think he was brilliant,” Muslic told Plymouth Live about his star man after answering a bullish ‘yes’ when asked if he should be kept at the club. “I have a reputation of being capable to develop players, and his development the last four months was outstanding, even today. I think Mustapha Bundu has qualities and you know my opinion about him.”
Before the visit of the Whites on Saturday, Bundu had bagged four goals in three games, including a brace and an assist in the 3-1 win over Coventry City and goals away at Middlesbrough and Preston.
Given what City have spent in recent years, and the fact that budgets will be a lot tighter this summer, snapping up players capable of making a difference on free transfers is a smart path to tread, and Bundu would be a good start.