City remain active and looking at creative ways to bolster their ranks
Hull City have less than a week to clinch final deals before the transfer window closes at the earlier time of 7pm on Monday evening, but it won’t be easy.
City continue to work under strict conditions owing to the restrictions placed on them by the EFL, meaning they can sign free transfers and loan players where they do not have to pay a fee.
So far, the Tigers have made 11 new additions, but that is expected to rise in the coming days. For that to happen, however, City must move players out. because of FFP situation and how close they are to falling foul of that.
Abu Kamara’s imminent move to Spanish side Getafe will free up one space in the squad, which the club hope will be filled by Bosnian midfield general Amir Hadziahmetovic. Discussions between the Tigers and Besiktas have progressed and it’s expected he will undergo a medical on Wednesday with a view to being involved during Saturday’s trip to Bristol City.
As it stands, that’s the one deal that the Tigers expect to get done ahead of the deadline. However, everybody will be acutely aware of how the final days and indeed hours of the window can play out with the drama associated with it.
Deals can spring from nowhere. Clubs can panic and do deals they were not expecting, and this could be the case at City. Sergej Jakirovic has spoken before about the size of the squad, and his concerns about players getting injured, and we’ve seen that already with Semi Ajayi, Matt Crooks and Akin Famewo all nursing injuries, while Lewie Coyle hasn’t kicked a ball in a game since the clash with Istanbulspor in mid-July. Jakirovic will be loath to lose any first-team players without having replacements lined up.
Charlie Hughes is naturally one to watch. Coventry City have seen bids rejected and could yet return with a figure closer to what Acun Ilicali would be willing to consider.
City’s stance remains the same as it has all summer, that the club do not want to lose him. The only reason a sale would be considered would be if an offer too good to be refused was submitted. That said, given how difficult he would be to replace in their circumstances, coupled with the ongoing injury issues and optics surrounding it, at this stage, it’s highly unlikely.
Elsewhere, there’s not a huge amount of room to move. The squad is settled, and they’re not blessed with a multitude of options all over the park, so letting out a first-team player would be a huge risk this close to the deadline, and the complexities with bringing players in.
Their squad has already been boosted by the return of Mohamed Belloumi, and shortly after the international break, Liam Millar will return, but it’s at the back and in midfield where immediate questions remain given the injury list.
Reda Laalaoui remains around the squad with the club trying to find a way to get his deal passed through by the EFL, but Gustavo Puerta is understood to have returned to Bayer Leverkusen.
Ideally, the club would like to loan out some of the academy players on the fringe of the first team squad, but even that is fraught with risk because they would be needed in the event of another sickness bug, flurry of injuries or suspension.
Arguably, the best case scenario right now is for the Amir Hadziahmetovic move to be completed, and the window to close without losing Hughes or anyone else.
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