There are many big transfer decisions facing Hull City this summer, and new head coach Sergej Jakirovic has to decide how his squad will look over the course of pre-season and into the new campaign.
One of those surrounds the first ‘new’ signing of last summer, Cody Drameh, who has struggled for regular football since joining from Leeds United almost 12 months ago, largely owing to club captain Lewie Coyle being the preferred choice at right-back as he has been under a succession of former managers.
Drameh was a signing teed up by Liam Rosenior early last year before he eventually joined from Leeds in July. Tim Walter used him at left back, and Ruben Selles used him barely at all, so rarely got to perform in a natural position.
Despite operating on the left side of the back four during Walter’s ill-fated reign, Selles preferred to operate with central defender Sean McLoughlin ahead of Drameh, Matty Jacob and £4m arrival Ryan Giles.
Nearly 12 months on, no fewer than nine clubs are understood to be keen on Drameh, sources have told Hull Live. Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is trying to bring the 23-year-old to Deepdale, while his former manager at Birmingham City, John Eustace, is determined to take him to Derby County.
It’s understood that the Rams’ latest offer was submitted to City over the weekend, and they remain keen to sign City’s full-back this summer. Along with a host of other clubs, including Scottish giants Rangers, Liam Rosenior, now in charge at Strasbourg, remains a huge fan, having been the key driver in Drameh’s original move to the club.
City are not thought to be actively trying to sell Drameh, though if they were approached with a seven-figure offer for a player under contract for two more years, plus the option of a further 12 months, then it’s believed they would consider selling. So far, none of the bids put on the table have met their valuation.
It does beg the question: If there’s so much interest in the full-back, then do City appreciate the player they’ve got on their hands and his potential?
Drameh would probably admit that he’s not been at his best and has probably only shown glimpses of the talent so many other managers are keen to tap into. But he could counter that argument by rightly saying he’s only been deployed in his natural position on a handful of occasions, and often playing in a bizarre setup (under Walter) that failed to get the best out of players.
Only 12 of his 28 appearances came under Selles, with five of those from the start, including in wins at Millwall and Sheffield United, but he was a bit-part performer thereafter, much to his frustration.
Jakirovic will need to make a quick assessment of the players in his squad, including Drameh. He may see the London-born former Fulham youngster as a player with real potential. However, he also may have that decision taken away from him.
City need to raise funds this summer to pay bills and also create space in the budget for the Bosnian to strengthen his squad and Drameh could be one, along with Steven Alzate and Gustavo Puerta, to be sacrificed for that to happen.
There’s much work to be done to make this squad ready for the new season and within in, there is talent, it just needs to be realised, and it needs a manager to get the best out of it, and that includes Drameh.
Here at Hull Live, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.