Mason Burstow’s departure for Bolton Wanderers on Monday afternoon was another turbulent moment in what has been yet another chaotic summer at Hull City for a club who are craving a period of calm when things run smoothly.
Burstow was a surprise signing last summer when City paid Chelsea £2m to bring him to the MKM Stadium. His return of just two goals before Christmas in 31 appearances was hardly value for money, and his exit is probably not a great surprise in the grand scheme of things.
In fairness to the 21-year-old, he started just eight games and was largely played out wide. Under Tim Walter, Burstow had a rough time and only started to show his potential once the German had gone, scoring in the defeat at Middlesbrough in the first game after the German’s exit.
His next came in Ruben Selles’ first home game in charge when he curled in a delightful winner against Swansea City, and that was that.
He’s a young player who needs time and patience. He also needs to be played in a position where he can impact the game. At City, when he played often off the bench, there was little in the way of output in a side that lacked any creativity. Hopefully, with the Trotters, he will find some form and consistency.
The problem City have is not the fact Burstow has been allowed to go – he was a Ruben Selles decision away from leaving in January – but the optics of the move, especially given he scored at the weekend, admittedly don’t look great for the league’s most impotent side. Now, Kyle Joseph is their only senior striker on the books, along with the unproven youngster Tyrell Sellars-Fleming.
City may not be in crisis yet, though some fans would argue differently. They are, however, in a real spot of difficulty. Last season’s lowest scorers have not strengthened their attack, and the season starts in less than two weeks.
Joao Pedro and Joe Gelhardt have gone – their two top scorers have moved on, and as it stands, Joseph, who failed to score in any of his 16 games following his £2.5m move from Blackpool, will lead the line at Coventry City on the opening day. The hope is for Joseph that now he’s injury-free, he can find his form.
Their big issue at the moment is that the EFL does not believe the club has the money to fund its current commitments and will not allow it to spend anything else. They’ve put a spending cap on the overall wage bill, so now the club is trying to move players out in order to bring fresh faces in, and to do that, they need the league’s approval.
Like it or not, the EFL is watching everything the club does very carefully. Put simply, City cannot go to the toilet without having to get permission and explain why.
Perhaps the EFL is being heavy-handed and ruling with an iron fist. Some fans will feel the EFL is over the top and should believe Acun Ilicali’s claims that the finances are OK. Others are concerned and feel the sanctions imposed on the Tigers are a good thing and will make City cut their cloth accordingly.
Anthony Racioppi, Marvin Mehlem, Matty Jacob, Xavier Simons, Abdus Omur, Thimothee Lo-Tutala, Sean McLoughlin, Joao Pedro, Alfie Jones, and now Burstow have all gone. Steven Alzate will also be moving on and there will almost certainly be more exits before the window shuts.
City are not allowed to sign Gustavo Puerta, and that situation is unlikely to change. Under the terms of their fee restriction, the club cannot sign Reda Laalaoui at this stage.
The three-window fee restriction ban is expected to be reduced when the appeal is finally heard early next week, but some form of management plan will almost certainly be agreed upon so that the EFL can monitor the club’s spending and ensure it pays its bills on time. This issue is not going away, so fans should be prepared for the governing body to be watching over the club for a while yet.
Enis Destan is likely to arrive from Trabzonspor, and he may well be a raging success. Nine goals in his last 51 Super Lig games do not suggest he’s a prolific striker, but under a capable manager like Sergej Jakirovic, perhaps his story could be different. Arrivals from the Super Lig have so far not worked out, Ozan Tufan under Liam Rosenior aside.
Oliver McBurnie remains a top target, but he may yet opt for Swansea City, and there’s no guarantee that they can get that deal over the line. Matija Frigan, the Westerlo forward, remains on their list, but that looks less likely as the days pass. There remains a big worry about their goal threat.
Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi will eventually return, but after nine months out with an ACL injury, their shoulders cannot be pressured. Abu Kamara has looked out of sorts throughout pre-season and could yet be sold.
The club will make signings, irrespective of what happens with their appeal, but those signings are not yet through the door. City’s squad, as we sit 10 days out from the start of the season, is infinitely weaker than the one that left the Fratton Park pitch on the final day, and that squad only scraped survival on goal difference.
It’s yet another summer of significant upheaval at the MKM Stadium, and yet again, City are going into the new campaign severely undercooked and without the players they need to be competitive in the world’s toughest league. Every point is precious; they have to be ready from minute one on day one, not September 13.
At least in Sergej Jakirovic, they have a manager you feel is capable of getting the best out of what he’s got, and not one who is going to throw a tantrum on the sidelines.
The Bosnian will need to find a way to inject more creativity into his team. Four straight single-goal wins in pre-season have lifted spirits and given the club a winning feeling again, but winning friendlies and winning Championship games are two very different things, and time will tell how they look in competitive matches when points are on the line.
City need a resolution to its issues with the EFL. But whatever happens next week and beyond, those in power have to move quickly, bring in capable reinforcement in the top half of the pitch, and give their manager and his players half a chance, and give supporters a reason to believe.