Hull City will be looking for a much-improved campaign in 2025/26 after narrowly surviving relegation on the final day.
But as it stands, there are a lot of unknowns as the Tigers embark on another season in the Championship.
Hull appointed Sergej Jakirovic after sacking Ruben Selles in May, but no one knows how the Bosnian will adapt to English football, making Acun Ilicali’s decision a huge risk.
EFL Analysis did reveal that Hull can spend big once more in the transfer window, and they’ve already signed four new players, including free agent centre-back Semi Ajayi.
However, for Hull to become Championship play-off contenders in 2025/26, they must unearth some goalscoring gems in the transfer window.
Louie Barry playing for Hull City in Sunderland v Hull City Sky Bet Championship game.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Hull City have the upper hand in race for Aston Villa’s Louie Barry
The Tigers’ biggest problem last season was their inability to put the ball in the back of the net, finishing as the division’s lowest scorers.
Selles attempted to fix that issue in the January transfer window with the incredible loan capture of Louie Barry. The 22-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Stockport County, where he plundered 16 goals, but his spell at Hull didn’t go as planned.
In his fourth match for the club in a 1-0 win over Sunderland, the Englishman suffered a serious knee injury, which saw the forward return to his parent club Aston Villa to undergo rehabilitation.
Villa are now prepared to sell Barry this summer to help ease any potential PSR concerns, and Hull City, among other Championship clubs, have retained interest in the youngster.
Birmingham City are one of those surprisingly linked with Barry, though despite the Tigers finishing in 21st last term, they could hold a key advantage in negotiations.
According to Hull Live, when City landed the fleet-footed forward in January, Ilicali’s positive relationship with Villa owner Nassef Sawiris played an integral role in winning the race for his signature.
The pair have held discussions over potentially sending Barry back to the MKM Stadium for another season, and such a relationship can help ignite an incredible transfer coup.
Hull can repeat Jaden Philogene masterstroke
In the 2023 summer transfer window, Hull captured exciting winger Jaden Philogene on a permanent deal from Aston Villa, costing just £5 million.
Philogene then excelled in the Championship, scoring 12 and assisting six in the 2023/24 campaign as the Tigers narrowly missed out on the top six.
It wasn’t known at the time, but Villa inserted a buy-back clause and a sell-on clause in his contract. So, when it came to re-signing him in 2024, the buy-back meant they could match any offer for the 23-year-old.
Meanwhile, the sell-on clause resulted in City receiving a percentage of the fee Villa paid to re-acquire him, around £13.5m, due to Villa having a 30% sell-on clause.
Hull should negotiate a similar deal with Villa for Barry, which allows them to sell him for cheap and then buy him back a year later if they fancy.