City’s popular head coach is deserving of his new deal
Sergej Jakirovic has become a real hit with his players (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Talk of a new contract for Sergej Jakirovic would be fully deserved for the Croatian, given the job he’s done at Hull City over the past 12 months.
Few could forget what he inherited when he arrived last summer, and then what he was hit with just days into his tenure with the club being slapped with a transfer fee restriction.
Against all the odds, Jakirovic has delivered Premier League football in his first campaign in English football, with a squad that many wrote off and even backed for relegation to League One.
Owner Acun Ilicali has been relaxed about offering a new deal to the manager he brought in to replace Ruben Selles. Jakirovic is on a significant package at the MKM Stadium, and Ilicali, in general, has little time for contracts, believing that a gentleman’s word is stronger than a piece of paper.
That said, rewarding those who have taken this club back to the Premier League is the right thing to do. Rewarding success in any walk of life is the right thing to do, and doesn’t always happen when it should.
It also protects the club against the vultures who may look to try and tempt the 49-year-old away from the MKM Stadium, and that’s a side of the game you have to be aware of.
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Jakirovic penned a two-year deal when he arrived last year, and the club does have a 12-month option to extend by a further 12 months to the end of the 2028 campaign, so the pressure to re-negotiate is not there, and nor should it be.
The key thing for City is to back their manager with the funds to assemble a group of players capable of competing next season. Nobody at the MKM Stadium should be under any illusions about the size of the job facing the whole football club in being ready for Premier League football.
That’s on and off the pitch. Being a Premier League club is hugely lucrative, but it’s also expensive. The sheer amount of money it costs to upgrade the stadium and training ground is significant. Improving facilities is hugely important to raise standards, to drive improvements and leave a legacy, but it costs.
Players want more money, and transfer fees rise. City will need to generate more money as a club, and that will have to come from merchandise and sponsorship, as ticket prices are already set in stone.
Ilicali may well look to key Turkish businessmen who can help ease the financial burden, given that the global interest in City will rise, and the amount they can generate from sponsors and partners will increase.
At the top of it all, having a manager who has been a figurehead, a real leader of men, and one capable of keeping calm and focused when the Premier League begins is crucial.
Jakirovic has earned his reward, and he probably won’t be the last in the City setup to be offered fresh terms by recognition of the remarkable achievement they’ve delivered, but equally, patience and common sense will also be required next season, given the increased difficulty level.
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