Wales international winger Sorba Thomas is the one who got away for Hull City.
City courted Thomas for much of the latter part of last year, before agreeing terms with Huddersfield Town over a permanent move during the January window.
Boss at the time, Ruben Selles, met Thomas on more than one occasion via Zoom to discuss where he saw the winger fitting into his setup at City, as the Spaniard looked to chart a course to safety in the Championship.
Thomas was on loan in France with Nantes, but unhappy and keen to move back to England, City were prepared to offer him that opportunity. The deal had been secured with the Terriers, wages agreed and it was widely expected to go through, even if the French outfit were making things difficult.
Instead, Selles and City’s hierarchy opted to push through a move for Louie Barry. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out for him, nor the Tigers, with the youngster succumbing to a knee injury early on in just his fourth appearance.
City were only in a position to sign one or the other, and decided to go after the Aston Villa hotshot having been impressed by his blistering spell in League One with Stockport County.
Since then, of course, Thomas has completed a permanent move to Championship rivals Stoke City, while Barry is expected to join Selles at Sheffield United on loan for the campaign.
At one point earlier this month, it looked like Barry would return to the MKM Stadium, but that deal has since sparked chaos at City with the club falling foul of the EFL, who are delving deep into the club’s finances amid concerns about their ability to pay their way.
Selles and City opted to go for Thomas when push came to shove, but the Tigers may have found themselves in a very different situation.
Only Jared Dublin and the rest of his team at the MKM Stadium will know if they have any regret about their January decision-making, but with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps there may be a little bit.
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