Hull City remain without a manager after the sacking of Ruben Selles 10 days ago, but the Tigers believe they are closing in on their preferred target.
Acun Ilicali admitted in conversations with Hull Live at the end of last week that he was hopeful of an appointment within a week, and that remains the case, sources have told Hull Live.
It’s understood Ilicali now has a leading candidate after a host of interviews, which included Emre Belozoglu and former Rangers and Sunderland boss Michael Beale, while discussions have been held with other interested managers at both home and abroad.
The club remain keen to keep the manager’s identity under wraps for now out of respect to him, and his current club, with negotiations continuing over a deal to bring him to the MKM Stadium in the coming days.
As Ilicali revealed, the leading contender’s name has not yet been referenced in the media and has not been listed on any betting odds list. The club remain coy over who the potential new manager is, but he’s believed to be an experienced head coach who enjoyed an extensive playing career on the continent.
City‘s Turkish owner was in London last week to step up his search for Selles’ replacement and was joined by new head of recruitment Martin Hodge and international recruitment chief Mustapha Yokes. Sporting director Jared Dublin has been involved in the process with Ilicali looking for his fifth permanent appointment.
“At the moment, we have five and one of them looks day by day more suitable for our club, but none of you know the name,” he said.
“Don’t forget these deals are not easy deals. These decisions are not easy decisions. We also need to bear in mind that the more successful the manager is, the more budgets go up, which has to be like this. This is the rule of life. How successful you are, you are that much more valuable. When you prove your success, you have more budget (demands).
“This is another part that we have to meet in the middle with some managers, because I really appreciate their success. We also have to understand that this is the Championship and there are spending limits for us, so I don’t want to go too far from the spending limits, but of course, I appreciate their success.
“This is another thing we should also think about. It’s not only one side that we decide with a manager. Sometimes we are close to a manager, but then it comes too close to the budget with the team (and we cannot push beyond the limits). We are at a good point in some deals and in some interviews. In London, we made some more interviews, and we are coming to our decision step by step.”