The Tigers continue to be busy and their rivals so will their rivals in the final days
Wales international Lewis Koumas is expected to join Hull City this week in a big Championship move(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Hull City and their Championship rivals are now well into the final week of the January transfer window, with things starting to heat up as the deadline approaches.
Monday night’s deadline is at the earlier time of 7pm, and all clubs have something to play for, whether it’s the four or five who sniff a shot at automatic promotion, the 17 who are in with a chance of the top six or the nine or 10 who are trying to scramble clear of relegation danger. Yes, the division is so tight that some of those categories overlap.
For City, there’s no hint of the relegation struggles of last season, or a battle to escape mid-table mediocrity. Under the guidance of Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers are nicely placed in fourth after a run of eight wins in 11 games.
As the clock ticks down, we have run through the ins, outs and gossip at each club up and down the country, and you can try to second-guess what might be in store next.
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Coventry City
In: Yang Min-hyeok (loan, Spurs), Romaine Esse (loan, Crystal Palace)
Out: Justin Obikwu (£500k, QPR), Norman Basette (loan, Kaiserslautern)
Assistant manager Joe Edwards told CoventryLive: “The one thing we were clear on was the wide areas, which we got done. We got that done early, which was great.
“So now there’s not a clear target of this position or that person, but, at the same time, for as long as the window is open I’m sure that if any option came our way that was a potential, and that clearly makes us better, then we’re not sort of closing the door on the window, so to speak, from our end yet. But as far as I’m aware, there are no obvious targets.”
Middlesbrough
In: Leo Castledine (£1m, Chelsea), Finley Munroe (£300k, Aston Villa), Jeremy Armiento (loan, Brighton)
Out: Lukas Engel (£750k, Real Salt Lake), Charlie Lennon (undisclosed, Barnsley), Sonny Finch (loan, South Shields)
Jeremy Sarmiento’s initial loan deal will become a permanent move in the summer. Boss Kim Hellberg has often dodged recruitment questions by noting it is not his role. He told TeessideLive: “I am of course involved, but I don’t have the final say. I think that’s the difference.”
Ipswich Town
In: Anis Mehmeti (£3m, Bristol City), Dan Neil (loan, Sunderland)
Out: Cameron Humphreys (loan, Huddersfield), Harry Clarke (loan, Charlton)
Dan Neil, who captained Sunderland to promotion last season, has joined on loan while £3m has secured Bristol City top scorer Anis Mehmeti.
EADT columnist Karl Fuller said: “The hope of a new striker signing goes on and I do wonder whether one will arrive at all. The pool of available strikers that could come in and improve us is small at present. The obvious candidate right now would be Swansea’s Slovenian international Žan Vipotnik. But what fee would it take to lure him away from the Swans?”
Hull City
In: Kieran Dowell (free, Rangers), Yu Hirakawa (loan, Bristol City)
Out: Kasey Palmer (loan, Luton Town), Tyrell Sellars-Fleming (loan, Grimsby), Harry Vaughan (loan, Bohemians)
No transfer or loan fees are allowed to be spent after their punishment in the summer, but the Tigers remain busy, and talks are ongoing to sign Lewis Koumas, having been recalled by Liverpool from the Birmingham fringes. San Diego’s Paddy McNair and Man Utd midfielder Toby Collyer are due in before the weekend visit to Blackburn Rovers. An exit is expected, or else the Tigers will have to leave someone out of their squad.
Manager Sergej Jakirovic told HullLive: “Mr Chairman wants attacking players because he’s enjoying us scoring the goals. I don’t know, and I think that we don’t have space for new players. If someone leaves us, then OK, but right now I think that’s it. I have my players, and I believe that they are the best. They show us in every game that they are good.”
Millwall
In:
Out: Kamarl Grant (loan, Blackpool), Ajay Matthews (loan, Leyton Orient)
A busy last few days are in store for Alex Neil as he is linked with moves for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, Sheffield Wednesday legend Barry Bannan and Brighton’s ex-Sunderland forward Tommy Watson. Bannan is widely expected to complete his move in the coming days.
Wrexham
In:
Out: Jake Bickerstaff (undisclosed, Cheltenham Town), James McClean (free, Derry City)
Wrexham are believed to be challenging Crystal Palace for the big-money signing of striker Sidiki Cherif from French club Angers and have been linked with a move for Southampton’s Adam Armstrong. Elliot Lee could leave while James McClean was released to return home and join Derry City.
Manager Phil Parkinson told the Wrexham Leader: “To bring players in, we have got to move players out. If the right player came available at the right price, then obviously we would make a move, but it’s not an absolute necessity.”
Bristol City
In: Sam Morsy (free, Kuwait SC), Ranel Young (free, Usce Novi Beograd), George Earthy (loan, West Ham)
Out: Haydon Roberts (undisclosed, Reading), Max O’Leary (undisclosed, West Brom), Anis Mehmeti (£3m, Ipswich), Josh Stokes (loan, Stockport County), Olly Thomas (loan, Dunfermline), Elijah Morrison (loan, Forest Green Rovers), Harry Cornick (loan, Stevenage), Yu Hirakawa (loan, Hull City)
Bristol City’s latest accounts preceded what seems like a mass rush to the exit, including star man Anis Mehmeti going to Ipswich. Winger Yu Hirakawa, left-back Haydon Roberts and keeper Max O’Leary have gone too. George Earthy has returned on loan.
Boss Gerhard Struber has made it no secret he wants to add a striker and, asked about what he wants for the final few days of the window, he told BristolLive: “That we let the frustration behind us [and] we think in more of a good mood.
“I think this is important and I have a belief that our office [will] make the right things in the next few days. This is my big hope, and this is also my expectation. We have, of course, some players on our radar that are interesting and now we have to go in action and realise it.”
Watford
In: Edoardo Bove (free, Roma)
Out: Tobi Adeyemo (loan, Crawley), Michael Adu-Poku (loan, Wealdstone), Max Alleyne (recalled by Man City), Caleb Wiley (recalled by Chelsea)
Midfielder Eduoardo Bove, aged 23, “was lucky to live” after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for Fiorentina against Inter Milan in December 2024. Now fitted with a defibrillator, he is not allowed to play again in Italy but will get a fresh start at Vicarage Road.
He told the Watford Observer: “I am on a programme with the club and the staff at the moment. We know what to do, what I have to do alone but also what I can do with the team.”
Preston North End
In:
Out: Stefan Thordarson (undisclosed, Hannover 96), Harrison Armstrong (recalled by Everton), Will Keane (loan, Reading)
Paul Heckingbottom told the Lancs Post he doesn’t believe any incoming transfer activity is imminent, despite injury blows to Daniel Iversen and Andrew Hughes and key midfielder Harrison Armstrong heading back to Everton.
He said: “There’s always news, but I don’t think there’s anything close. I’m just bothered about people who are going to improve us and be good enough, that’s it.
“I keep saying, our market might be different, you know? Looking at the business that teams do, you can’t get distracted by it because unless they’ve beaten you to a player who’s achievable for you, it’s pointless. So, what we’ve got to do is look for players who we think can add to our group.”
Stoke City
In: Gavin Bazunu (loan, Southampton), Milan Smit (loan, Go Ahead Eagles)
Out: Jack Bonham (undisclosed, Bolton), Jamie Donley (recalled by Spurs), Freddie Anderson (loan, Barrow), Kieron Willox (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Andre Vidigal (released)
Gavin Bazunu, brought in to cover an injury to Viktor Johansson, faces six weeks on the sidelines with an injury himself. Striker Milan Smit has joined from Go Ahead Eagles with an expectation that he will join permanently in the summer.
Mark Robins told StokeonTrentLive: “We’re a team that isn’t going to sign the finished article, but we’ll try to get players with a lot of good attributes and improve them. Then over time you get a really good player. That’s hopefully what we will do with a player, some players – I’m hopeful of a few more.”
Derby County
In: Dion Sanderson (undisclosed, Birmingham City), Oscar Fraulo (undisclosed, Borussia Monchengladbach)
Out: Darren Robinson (undisclosed, Doncaster), Curtis Nelson (undisclosed, MK Dons), Ebou Adams (undisclosed, Portsmouth), Owen Beck (recalled by Liverpool), Ryan Nyambe (loan, Reading)
The departure of Ryan Nyambe to Reading leaves Derby with a squad of 23 players and a wide player remains on the agenda.
Queens Park Rangers
In: Ronnie Edwards (£4m, Southampton), Justin Obikwu (£500k, Coventry)
Out: Elijah Dixon-Bonner (loan, Wealdstone), Murphy Cooper (loan, Sheffield Wednesday), Alfie Lloyd (loan, Lincoln City), Liam Morrison (loan, Aberdeen), Emmerson Sutton (loan, Harrogate), Alexander Aoraha (undisclosed, Al-Zawraa), Michael Frey (£500k, Grasshopper Zurich)
Julien Stephan has brought in centre-half Ronnie Edwards and striker Justin Obikwu so far this month and has been linked with bringing in a goalkeeper.
But he admitted to West London Sport: “I don’t really like the January transfer window. I think when you start with a group, a squad, I like to continue with the same players. So let’s see what happens, but probably it will be very calm.”
Birmingham City
In: Kai Wagner (undisclosed, Philadelphia Union), August Priske (£6m, Djurgardens), Jhon Solis (loan, Girona), Ibrahim Osman (loan, Brighton)
Out: Eiran Cashin (recalled by Brighton), Lewis Koumas (recalled by Liverpool), Dion Sanderson (undisclosed, Derby), Emil Hansson (free, Excelsior), Keshi Anderson (free, Portsmouth), Lyndon Dykes (undisclosed, Charlton), Alfons Sampsted (undisclosed, Go Ahead Eagles), Tommy Fogarty (loan, Morecambe), Marc Leonard (loan, Hearts)
Birmingham are trying to write another big cheque to sign winger Carlos Vicente for about £7m from Alaves. BirminghamLive write: “Blues are looking to correct all of their problems in what is notoriously the most difficult window to deal in.
“Recruitment chiefs and owners usually shudder at the prospect of a trolley dash in January. Selling clubs hold all the power and buyers can’t exactly conceal their cards. But the prospect of overpaying hasn’t deterred Blues and their ultra-ambitious owners Knighthead Capital Management.
“A conservative estimate of fees for permanent additions Kai Wagner, August Priske and Vicente – should Blues sign him from Alaves without the Abdoulie Manneh hiccups – is in excess of £10m and nudging towards the £15m mark.
“Then you can throw in loan fees for Jhon Solis, who could become a permanent signing in the summer, and Ibrahim Osman. And don’t forget the wages.”
Leicester City
In:
Out: Sammy Braybrooke (loan, Chesterfield), Wout Faes (loan, Monaco), Chris Popov (loan, Morecambe)
The focus is on finding a new manager after Marti Cifuentes was sacked – and the possibility of a points deduction pulling the team too close for comfort to the wrong end of a congested table.
Chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha said in his first interview with British media in 10 years: “The players need support from the fans big time. Because nobody wants to see us play in League One.”
Incomings will be limited to loans because of profit and sustainability constraints. Top said: “We have to comply. I don’t want to have that problem again, because it’s a pain. It’s not easy. I am sure many other clubs are not saying anything but feel the same.”
Southampton
In: Daniel Peretz (loan, Bayern Munich), James Bree (recalled from Charlton)
Out: Zach Awe (undisclosed, Salford City), Ronnie Edwards (£4m, QPR), Ryan Fraser (undisclosed, Western Sydney Wanderers), Damion Downs (loan, Hamburg), Gavin Bazunu (loan, Stoke), Ben Reeves (retired)
Top scorer Adam Armstrong has been linked with a £15m move to Wrexham.
There is not expected to be a flood of incomings with boss Tonda Eckert telling the Daily Echo: “We need to be sure we are 100 per cent convinced that it’s the right fit. We’re looking at some profiles where we think that might be the case.
“Then obviously every transfer has its own history, and sometimes things take a bit longer than you might expect. I don’t think that we will do a lot. If we do something, it will be spot on. I think the only thing that we shouldn’t do is to decide to bring somebody in who doesn’t raise the level.”
Swansea City
In: Joel Ward (free, Crystal Palace), Gustavo Nunes (loan, Brentford)
Out: Joel Cotterill (loan, Dundee), Josh Thomas (loan, Derry City), Evan Watts (loan, Galway United), Kaelan Casey (recalled by West Ham)
Swansea have been linked with a move for Birmingham’s Kyogo Furuhashi and a striker could yet be on their last minute wish list. There is unlikely to be the injection of cash they had hoped for going into this window, however, because as it stands Zan Vipotnik looks like staying put.
Boss Vitor Matos, when asked about potential business, told WalesOnline: “It depends on the market. The most important thing is that we set up the profile and what we really need. If that then becomes an opportunity in the market, we will go for that.
“If not, we are fine because I’m really happy with the squad. I’m really happy with the players I have. I was already, that’s the truth.”
Sheffield United
In: Ki-Jana Hoever (loan, Wolves)
Out: Ben Godfrey (recalled by Atalanta), Louie Barry (recalled by Aston Villa), Sam Curtis (loan, Chesterfield), Louie Marsh (loan, Falkirk), Nils Zatterstrom (loan, Genoa)
Chris Wilder is hoping for two more signings and appears to be looking to bolster in central defence and central midfield. They have abandoned their AI-approach to recruitment.
Wilder told the Sheffield Star: “We’ve moved some players on and will most probably move another couple on. With the ins, I’d like to think there’ll be two coming in which we need. The board have been supportive.
“They’ve got to be the right ones as well and hopefully things will start moving. Its been a really quiet one, a couple of clubs have done a couple of bits of business and we’d like to do that to strengthen us.”
Norwich City
In: Ali Ahmed (undisclosed, Vancouver Whitecaps), Paris Maghoma (undisclosed, Brentford), Harry Amass (loan, Man Utd)
Out: Emmanuel Adegboyega (undisclosed, Rotherham)
Ali Ahmed has been an instant hit and Paris Maghoma has joined from Brentford while Josh Sargent’s future is up in the air. Sargent has been linked with Toronto, where the transfer window is open until March.
Boss Philippe Clement told the Pink Un: “We’re busy with several players and several positions and I hope we can get everything over the line, I know everybody’s working hard on that.”
Charlton Athletic
In: Lyndon Dykes (undisclosed, Birmingham), Harry Clarke (loan, Ipswich), Luke Chambers (loan, Liverpool)
Out: Jerome Roussillon (free, Amiens), James Bree (recalled by Southampton)
Nathan Jones has been linked with a move for FC Zurich left-back Junior Ligue but has already signed Luke Chambers for that role on loan from Liverpool, Stoke old boy Harry Clarke at right-back and blustering striker Lyndon Dykes.
West Bromwich Albion
In: Max O’Leary (undisclosed, Bristol City)
Out: Toby Collyer (recalled by Man Utd), Cole Deeming (loan, Cheltenham Town)
New boss Eric Ramsey is being linked with a move for midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bishiru from Lazio as he tries to put some distance between Albion and the relegation zone.
Ramsey said: “I knew I was walking into a period of the season and a set of circumstances that was challenging, so I’m not complaining. But I’m sure everyone can empathise in that sense. It isn’t easy when you’re going from game to game so quickly.”
Portsmouth
In: Ebou Adams (undisclosed, Derby), Keshi Anderson (free, Birmingham), Millenic Alli (loan, Luton)
Out: Yang Min-hyeok (recalled by Spurs)
There would have to be outs before ins at Fratton Park in the final few days of the window, having signed two wingers and a midfielder so far this month.
John Mousinho has been linked with bringing in a centre-half and there has been reported interest in £500,000-rated Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Svante Ingelsson.
But Mousinho is juggling challenges presented by a long injury list and told the Portsmouth News: “We have to be fluid on it, at the moment there isn’t the leeway to let anyone out. We’re not anticipating letting anyone leave, because we haven’t got enough fit players in the squad.
“I can’t see the situation changing much but if we sign players, when it comes to players going we ultimately have to move people on.”
Blackburn Rovers
In: Mathias Jorgensen (£3.5m, Bodo/Glimt), Eiran Cashin (loan, Brighton)
Out: Makhtar Gueye (£1.8m, Shanghai Shenhua)
Rovers are trying to sign left winger Reyes Cleary from Barnsley.
But unrest among supporters saw an official attendance of just 11,640 at Ewood Park against Watford, including 1,070 fans – and the Lancashire Telegraph suggested the number that actually went through the turnstiles was probably even lower.
Boss Valerien Ismael said: “The season is not ending now. It’s ending in May. So we have enough time.
“If we get our players back, we get that consistency with no injuries on the key players and we’re able to bring other bodies in, then it looks completely different. Then we compete better and we come out of this s*** situation.”
Oxford United
In: Myles Peart-Harris (undisclosed, Brentford), Jamie McDonnell (undisclosed, Nottingham Forest), Jeon Jin-woo (undisclosed, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Jamie Donley (loan, Spurs), Yunus Konak (loan, Brentford)
Out: Luke Harris (recalled by Fulham), Louie Sibley (loan, Bradford)
New boss Matt Bloomfield still wants more January business and there will likely be outgoings too.
He told the Oxford Mail: “I think the squad is probably bigger than what we want coming out of the end of the window and we don’t want unhappy players. If players believe that they can play more elsewhere then those will be conversations that I’m willing to have.”
Sheffield Wednesday
In: Jaden Heskey (loan, Man City), Murphy Cooper (loan, QPR)
Out: Ethan Horvath (recalled by Cardiff) Harry Amass (recalled by Man Utd)
Barry Bannan is making an emotional departure and there are whispers about the future of players like Ike Ugbo and Bailey Cadamarteri. Chelsea have signed promising 17-year-old Yisa Alao.
Manager Henrik Pedersen is trying to get permission from administrators and the EFL to bring anyone in, telling the Sheffield Star: “I’m sure we can also do something. We have to wait for an answer if we can have a loan or a free transfer player.”
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