The summer transfer window is now officially open, and for Hull City, the acid test of Acun Ilicali, Jared Dublin, Martin Hodge and the rest of the club’s recruitment team begins.
Between now and when the summer window closes at 11pm on September 1, the Tigers’ hierarchy must give Sergej Jakirovic a squad capable of competing in the Premier League.
Last month’s Championship play-off final winners are looking to recruit across the whole squad, with double figures of arrivals expected to boost Jakirovic’s options.
Acun Ilicali highlighted the need for City to bring in ‘one or two magicians’ over the course of the next 11 weeks, but they will need to bolster the quality and depth of the group.
One of the big questions surrounds the loan players who helped City win promotion. Joe Gelhardt bagged 15 goals in the Championship, and would be a sensible buy in the top flight, given he won’t cost a huge amount relatively speaking, knows the group, the club and will be desperate to prove himself.
Lewis Koumas is another player with potential, and while unlikely to be a starter, his pace and ability to be direct could be crucial off the bench.
Amir Hadziahmetovic, Yu Hirakawa and John Lundstram are, at this stage, deemed unlikely to return. City would like to strike a deal with Manchester United for Toby Collyer, because they believe that with a full pre-season, the midfielder is a player with significant potential and one capable of making an immediate impact in the Premier League.
Jakirovic is keen to bring in former targets Luka Stojkovic, Arber Hoxha, both at Dinamo Zagreb, and Rokas Pukštas from Hajduk and Toni Fruk from Rijeka, with the City boss keen to tap into the Croatian market, which he believes provides great value for players with significant talent and a high ceiling.
The club know they must bring in players with athleticism and pace, and have taken close looks at the work Sunderland did following their promotion 12 months ago, and while they will be going in their own direction, the Black Cats showed that newly-promoted teams can find good value in the market.
At this stage, City are unlikely to tap into the Turkish market, with Dublin and Hodge leading the charge to bring in players that they believe are Premier League-ready, but they have sent scouts to the World Cup to keep tabs on players already identified as possible targets.
As they’ve done in recent seasons, signing players for relatively low fees that will increase in value will be front and centre. Charlie Hughes and Mo Belloumi are two examples of the long-term direction the club would like to move in.
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City’s biggest weapon is Jakirovic. The Croatian showed throughout the season that he can put together a squad, keep it together and be tactically astute. He’s also shown how adept he is at improving existing players already in the dressing room.
Ryan Giles, Charlie Hughes, Regan Slater, Kyle Joseph, Joe Gelhardt, Matt Crooks, Lewie Coyle, John Egan and Oli McBurnie are all players that spring to mind when you talk about those who have seen their value rise since Jakirovic arrived.
The majority of the squad that won promotion will be given the chance to prove themselves, too. City are under no illusions that they need to strengthen in all areas; that is not in doubt. But key to their recruitment will be bringing in players capable of raising the levels, but also fitting into the group.
City are going to have their struggles next season, and it will be crucial when they do go through those hard times that the dressing room is as tight as it was in the promotion-winning campaign. If that spirit and togetherness are lost, then things will become very hard very quickly, so signing the right characters will be as important as anything else.
Going the other way, there will be departures as is normal at this time of year. It’s been well documented that the club are looking to move players out before the end of the month, but it’s understood progress is being made and there is interest in first-team players, which the club are willing to move on.
Kasey Palmer, Abdus Omur, Abu Kamara and Mason Burstow all have interest, as does David Akintola, so those are likely to secure permanent moves elsewhere. There is also interest in one or two others who helped City win promotion, and would be allowed to leave, if the deal were right.
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