The Birmingham-born midfielder is gradually finding his feet following his move to the Tigers
Keane Lewis-Potter battles with Tim Iroegbunam at the MKM Stadium on Sunday
Keane Lewis-Potter battles with Tim Iroegbunam at the MKM Stadium on Sunday(Image: Stephen White - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Tim Iroegbunam says he's loving life at Hull City, as he waits to move into his new home and really set down firm roots in East Yorkshire after a frantic summer.
The 23-year-old made his first Premier League start of the campaign on Sunday against Brentford, as he continues to find his feet after moving to City, whilst also battling injuries.
Iroegbunam was one of the Tigers' high-profile signings during the close season, arriving from Everton in a big-money deal, and faced his former club off the bench earlier this month in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
After more minutes in the defeat at Fulham, the midfielder was handed a maiden Tigers starting berth by boss Sergej Jakirovic, and will be looking to kick on when City host Ipswich Town at the MKM Stadium on Saturday in a crucial game between two of the newly promoted sides.
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There were Everton fans disappointed that Iroegbunam was allowed to leave Hill Dickinson Stadium, especially after impressing in the second half of the season during his 29 top-flight outings, while experienced boss David Moyes told Hull Live that he wasn't keen to let him go.
Iroegbunam, though, says he felt like it was time for a new challenge, with City making it clear from early in the close season that he was one of their primary transfer targets.
"Every decision you make in football is gonna be hard," he told Hull Live. "It was more like having almost a clean start. Just making a new change. I've loved it, every second of it."
Owner Acun Ilicali played a pivotal role in City's transfer business, as he has done previously, and Iroegbunam says Ilicali's hands-on approach is unusual, which is in stark contrast to how things operate at Everton.
"The owner said a lot of good things, you could just tell, even like now I'm here and like how much involved he is," he continued. "It's not really normal for the owners to be here all the time. You can tell that's the feeling around the club. I spoke to Ryan Giles because I've known him from being around and living in the same area. He said a lot of good things, and all those little bits of information I was hearing just wanted me to come even more.
"You can tell he (Ilicali) wants to get to know everyone; he has conversations with everyone. It just shows how much he loves the football club."
Ilicali is regularly seen playing football, or foot-tennis at the training ground, but Iroegbunam has not yet had the call to compete against the Turkish businessman: "No, he looks very good, though. We've watched a few of them," he joked.
Central to the Tigers' success in the past 12 months has been head coach Sergej Jakirovic, and Iroegbunam believes it's the Croatian's approach to his man-management which is key.
"He's a good guy," the former Aston Villa youngster said of Jakirovic. "You can tell just the way he talks. Players in the squad, players on the bench, and injured players; he involves everyone, and that gives everyone a good feeling. If you're speaking to everyone, you're all feeling involved, regardless of whether you're playing or not. It gives everyone opportunities, and everyone wants to do their best, which is a good thing."
After an injury-hit start to life at the MKM Stadium, Iroegbunam feels he can be a real asset to the Tigers dressing room as the season wears on, and once he gets fully settled.
"I feel like I've got a lot I can provide both on and off the pitch. I feel like I'm a good character to have. If it's foreign players, if it's young players, I feel like I'm good at conversing with everyone. Then it's more just doing my best to stay fit so that I can help on the pitch too, as best as I can. I'm still in a hotel. I'm just waiting to move in. It's alright, there's no worries at all."
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