Sergej Jakirovic will be confirmed as Hull City’s new head coach after the Tigers struck a deal with Keyserispor, who have confirmed his exit.
City owner Acun Ilicali and his counterpart in Keyseri, Nurettin Açıkalın, held high-level talks over the weekend to negotiate a compensation deal for the Bosnian.
The financial agreement, which is understood to be well into six figures, has allowed Jakirovic to exit the one-and-a-half-year contract he signed with the Turkish Super Lig club in January, early, before guiding the club away from relegation trouble and safely into mid-table.
Jakirovic is thought to have played a crucial role in helping those negotiations move quickly and secure his exit from the Kadir Has Stadium, with him signing a two-year deal at the MKM Stadium with the option of a third.
The move to appoint the 48-year-old moved a step closer last week after Jakirovic, along with three members of his backroom staff, was granted a UK work permit.
Marko Salatovic, Marin Ivancic and Andjelo Roguljic are expected to join the Bosnian while the club are in talks over bringing in an experienced coach to work alongside the new man. Jakirovic will decide which one of the three candidates will link up with him at the MKM Stadium.
“We have mutually agreed to part ways with Head Coach Sergej Jakirović. We thank him and his team and wish them success in their future careers,” the Super Lig club said in a short statement.
It’s expected City will make a formal announcement in due course, with a press conference set to take place next week with the new head coach alongside owner Ilicali.
Meanwhile, Keyserispor will move quickly to replace the former Dinamo Zagreb boss, with Markus Gisdol primed to take over. German boss Gisdol is the former head coach of Samsunspor and managed the club 33 times between October 2023 and June 2024, and had been considered for the job in January, before Jakirovic was appointed.
Board member in Keyseri, Süleyman Akın, added that the club respect the decision of Jakirovic to leave and move to England, for the first time in his career.
“We respect Sergej’s choice,” he said. “We are also looking for a new coach to continue our league race in the upcoming season. We are about to finalise our choice among many alternatives. We will make the official announcement in a few days. Kayserispor fans can rest assured. We will sign a contract with a coach who we believe will carry our Kayserispor to success.”
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