The Tigers will be limited in what they can and can’t do when the window opens on New Year’s Day
Hull City will step up their preparations for the January transfer window this week, as the Tigers look to bolster their squad for the second half of the season in a bid to maintain their promotion push.
Saturday’s battling 1-0 win over West Brom was their third in a row and means they’ll spend Christmas sitting fourth in the Championship, just five points off the automatic promotion spots.
Sporting director Jared Dublin will meet with head coach Sergej Jakirovic ahead of Christmas Day to outline plans and potential targets, with a presentation planned to update on the current status ahead of the window which opens on Thursday week.
Bosses at the MKM Stadium have already drawn up a list of potential targets, with the club keen to see a similar impact to what happened 12 months ago when the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Matt Crooks arrived to help keep City in the Championship.
Discussions with potential new recruits and their respective clubs have been underway, with Jakirovic fully aware of progress being made.
Getting deals done next month will be a significant challenge for City, given they’re working under a fee restriction, meaning they cannot buy players or pay loan fees and must therefore rely on the goodwill of other clubs in order to bring players in.
Financial Fair Play remains a factor for owner Acun Ilicali, who knows he must balance the books to avoid the club falling foul of the EFL’s punishments again, but despite those obstacles, City believes they can still do useful business.
That will mean moving players out, but there’s not expected to be wholesale change given the close-knit squad at Jakirovic’s disposal, and key players coming back from injury.
Jakirovic has previously stated that he’d like more goalkeeping cover to challenge Ivor Pandur and Dillon Phillips, as well as another attack-minded playmaker that can operate in the number 10 role.
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