"Altered the truth" - Hull City doubt lingers over Gustavo Puerta situation | OneFootball

The Tigers midfielder has been conspicuous by his absence in recent weeks

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The Gustavo Puerta conundrum continues to rumble on at Hull City, with the Colombian once again an unused substitute in the Tigers’ 1-1 draw with Norwich City at the weekend.

The 21-year-old has been the subject of mystery of late, having been inexplicably dropped from the side in the middle of January after becoming something of a mainstay in Ruben Selles’ midfield of late.

The City boss has claimed that the decision has been made for purely footballing reasons, although there are rumours abounding that the Humberside outfit are close to triggering an appearance-related deal in the player’s contract, which would see them forced to pay parent club Bayer Leverkusen €3 million if he plays a certain amount of games.

With player and club seemingly butting heads and offering different opinions on the situation, we asked Football League World’s Hull City fan pundit Ryan Frankish for a fan’s eye view of the situation, and what needs to be done for the best.

Gustavo Puerta situation rumbles on after Hull City omission

Puerta hasn’t set foot on the pitch for City since late January, when he came on for the final 15 minutes of the Tigers’ eye-catching 3-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Having finally made his first appearance of the season in the middle of October, the Leverkusen loanee forced himself into becoming a prominent part of the plans at the MKM Stadium until the new year, with 19 Championship appearances to his name.

After being deployed in a role further forward in the midfield, it looked as if Selles had unlocked a fresh-looking player after taking over from Tim Walter, before suddenly leaving the player out of his plans altogether in recent weeks.

Puerta suddenly seems conspicuous by his absence, and with rumours abounding over the reason for his no-shows, Frankish isn’t convinced it is purely for footballing reasons alone.

When asked about the situation, the Tigers fan said: “I think Gustavo Puerta should absolutely be playing, and you don’t know whether to believe the club about things like this, because they have… I wouldn’t say out-and-out lied, but they have altered the truth in the past. It just doesn’t seem to make sense why he wouldn’t be played.

“As much as he doesn’t have output, I can understand Regan Slater playing because when he didn’t start against Burnley there was a real imbalance in the midfield, so it does sort of make sense.

“But I have heard other sources who are close to Puerta say that it is a decision that is to do with his

buy-out clause and he does have two games left.

“So I am not sure, but regardless, he should absolutely be playing without a doubt.”

Hull City need to resolve Gustavo Puerta uncertainty

Such is the misinformation often spread around football, no one outside the football club quite knows what is happening with Puerta at Hull City, with the club stating that they would even like to make the Colombian’s move permanent when they can.

If that is the case, his lack of game time in recent weeks seems even more puzzling, with City falling to defeats against Stoke City and Burnley, before earning a point against Norwich last time out.

At the same time, putting the player on the bench would be a puzzling move from Selles if contract clauses are restricting him from playing his midfielder, with a place in the match day squad taken up by someone who is obsolete as an option, just to save face.

Either way, the lack of trust in those in the boardroom is clear to see at the minute - sentiments that Frankish echoes - with nobody quite sure who to believe when it comes to finding out the truth.