Hull City’s latest summer rebuild has seen Xavier Simons complete a permanent move away from the MKM Stadium and join Bolton Wanderers in a permanent deal.
Simons leaves the MKM Stadium after making 38 appearances for the Tigers, with his two goals coming in successive games against Burnley and Derby County last season after he started the season as a regular under Tim Walter.
Despite playing regularly in the early weeks, the departure of Walter saw a change in approach as Ruben Selles used him on just four occasions before he moved to Adams Park on deadline day in the winter.
Bolton fended off interest from a host of other clubs in Simons, with Scottish side Hibernian coming close to snapping up the 22-year-old midfielder, who joined initially on loan in 2022 before Liam Rosenior turned his move from Chelsea permanent the following year.
The Stamford Bridge arrival spent the second half of last term on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, where he played 16 times as the Chairboys missed out on promotion to the Championship after losing in the play-offs, having previously had a spell at Fleetwood Town.
It’s thought City will recoup in the region of £500,000 for Simons, with the Championship club inserting a sell-on clause into the deal.
Simons’ exit will not be the first following the arrival of new head coach Sergej Jakirovic with the club looking to ease pressure on their wage bill, and the number of fringe players not involved in the first team.
Matty Jacob is another who is expected to leave the club in the coming days, as revealed by Hull Live. Wanderers want Jacob, but he could be on his way to one of the Trotters’ League One rivals, while there could be a loan departure in the coming days, too.
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.