The Tigers have plenty of work to do to prepare for life in the top flight
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali (Image: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has challenged his recruitment team to unearth more gems like Charlie Hughes and Mohamed Belloumi over the course of the summer.
City’s shopping list is now in preparation for the Premier League, after their stunning play-off campaign saw them beat Middlesbrough at Wembley last month.
The Tigers have had to rip up their Championship plans and are now looking at bringing in as many as 10 new players to arm Sergej Jakirovic with a squad capable of competing in the top-flight.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
While the majority of the promotion-winning squad will be given a chance to prove themselves in the Premier League, the Tigers are under no illusions about the need to add pace, power, strength and experience to their ranks, and work is already well underway.
Also fundamental to their approach will be signing talented youngsters, as they did with Belloumi and Hughes, unearthing gems that they could make a profit on in the future.
“On the transfer side, what we want to achieve to make this club bigger is now finding the best talents for the future that will also perform well, and will give advantages for the future of the club,” Ilicali told Hull Live.
“In order to make this club bigger, we have to bring in some players who can provide good football, plus good sales in the future.
“I really believe in our recruitment team. I really believe in Jared (Dublin, sporting director), and the eyes that brought us Charlie Hughes, (Mo) Belloumi, and these young talents and players. Now with the bigger budgets we will spend, of course, good money, but not on names, but on the potential and productive players.
“Maybe we need one or two magicians in the team, but I think one of our strongest things will be our fighting spirit, like we have seen this season. I think we will have young and potential players for this.”
The City owner was keen to point to the impact Oli McBurnie had when he arrived 12 months ago, in lifting the level and belief within the dressing room.
Twelve months on, Ilicali believes another player in McBurnie’s category will be important, in a similar fashion to the impact Granit Xhaka had at Sunderland.
“For the next year, McBurnie would be a fantastic example. As you saw, I think he upgraded Hull City with his presence, so I think we have to bring one player that upgrades the team completely.”
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.