Former Hull City boss Iain Dowie believes it will take more new arrivals to give Hull City a realistic chance of staying in the Premier League this season.
City kick off the new campaign at home to Manchester United on Saturday, and have already been written off by many, with Sergej Jakirovic’s men tipped to make an instant return to the Championship.
While City will hope to defy the odds, just as they did last season in winning an unlikely promotion, they will need an influx of more quality in the transfer market, according to Dowie.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
City confirmed the return of loan favourite Joe Gelhardt before Saturday’s final friendly of the summer against Nice, with Lucas Gourna-Douath making his debut at the weekend.
That double-signing came on the back of Nobel Mendy, Lucas Herrington and Elliot Stroud, all of whom have seen their moves confirmed since the game in Frankfurt last Saturday.
The Tigers still expect to make a host of new signings before the deadline two weeks on Tuesday, and Dowie says those will be required, especially defensively.
“Sadly, a lot of people are writing off Hull. However, when you look at the recruitment, Sergej Jakirovic has done an amazing job,” Dowie said. “He has extensive experience around the world, in Slovenia, Croatia, and Turkey, and he understands the game brilliantly. That said, as we stand here today, I don’t believe they currently have enough to survive.
“I do think they need to spend a bit more. What Sergej Jakirovic needs to do now is improve their defensive resilience; they’ll likely need to bring in a few more players at a better level to achieve that. It’s incredibly difficult to come into the Premier League, not spend a sizeable amount of money, and expect to compete. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, but Sergej has already surprised a few people; he’s done a brilliant job.”
City’s team spirit was their biggest strength last season, and it will need to be again this time around, with City facing some of the best players in the world every time they step out onto the pitch, and that’s something Dowie feels will be crucial to his old club.
“There’s definitely an expectation from the fans for the owner to invest, and while they haven’t quite opened the chequebook as much as some would like yet, Sergej Jakirovic has made a start. He’s brought in a few faces, like Hidemasa Morita from Sporting and Matt Targett on a free transfer, but in truth, he’ll need a bit more depth than that to compete at this level. That said, you can never underestimate the value of team spirit. If they can build on the momentum that got them promoted, that togetherness might just be enough to keep them up. I certainly hope it works out for Hull.”
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.