The amounts spent will not be the same and the scale of the overhaul he is planning is different, but Sergej Jakirovic will use Sunderland as a guide when he tools Hull City up for a return to the Premier League.
Their kitty swelled by the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson, Sunderland added 14 new players to their squad last summer, for an estimated cost of £155m.
The Tigers will not be allowed to match that but they have always tried to push the limits of financial fair play under chairman/owner Acun Ilicali, who was known to complain in the past about not being able to spend more in the Championship.
Their first season back in the Premier League since 2017 will be worth a nine-figure sum to the East Yorkshire club, with parachute payments to protect them against some of the contracts they agree to should they be relegated.
Coach Jakirovic will certainly push head of recruitment Martin Hodge to up the quality in his squad, concentrating on the same qualities Sunderland drafted in as they finished in a Europa League place for 2026-27.
"We will try to add better players than we have right now," said the former Bosnia midfielder. "This is also our job.
"I think the main players who brought us to the Premier League can stay. They can help us as well.
POINTERS: Hull City's Sergej Jakirovic has explained how they will go into the transfer market (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
POINTERS: Hull City's Sergej Jakirovic has explained how they will go into the transfer market (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
"We just have to add better players than we have.
"I think Sunderland's recipe is great. They brought dynamic players with the pace and speed. So you can build this type of team."
Jakirovic is perhaps not the dominant voice around the table when the Tigers recruit, but whose voice will be heard more loudly after the success he enjoyed in his first season in English football.
As well as familiarising himself with the game in this country, the likeable Jakirovic has also struck up good relationships with Dublin and Hodge. He was quick to praise the work of Hull's recruitment team after the 1-0 Championship play-off final win over Middlesbrough which secured their place in the Premier League.
BIG INVESTMENT: Granit Xhaka (centre) was the centrepiece Sunderland's recruitment drive (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
BIG INVESTMENT: Granit Xhaka (centre) was the centrepiece Sunderland's recruitment drive (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"We are on the same page since day one," he said. "I don't see any problems there.
"This is great money for the club. We will try to use this money very wisely."
It is certainly a world away from the 2025-26 season, when Hull were banned from buying players or even paying a loan fee for them after not paying other clubs on time for past transfers. Those restrictions ran until the end of the last transfer window.
"Maybe we will get an embargo again, who knows?" joked Jakirovic.
"I'm used to it. I'm ready for everything.
"We have a nice budget. We (the coaching and playing staff) are going on holiday but for the recruitment team it's lot of big days in front of them.
"I think Hodgey has already prepared some lists."