Football League World
·29 September 2023
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·29 September 2023
Hull City will be hoping to challenge for promotion to the Premier League this season.
The Tigers have enjoyed an outstanding start to the season, and optimism is growing at the MKM Stadium that Liam Rosenior's men could be surprise promotion contenders this campaign.
It has been a turbulent time for Hull since their relegation from the top flight in 2017, and they even dropped down to League One in 2020, but the club is on an upward trajectory once again under the ownership of Acun Ilicali and with a talented young manager in Rosenior at the helm.
The Tigers' charge up the table is being led by striker Aaron Connolly, who joined the club on a permanent basis this summer from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Connolly has been in excellent form in the early weeks of the campaign, and he is currently one of the most dangerous strikers in the Championship.
Hull have had plenty of quality strikers over the years, and one front man who had a successful spell in East Yorkshire was Abel Hernandez.
Hernandez joined the Tigers from Italian side Palermo in September 2014 for a fee of £10 million, which remained a club record until the arrival of midfielder Ryan Mason from Tottenham Hotspur for £13 million in August 2016.
The 33-year-old was unable to prevent Hull's relegation from the Premier League in his first season at the club, but he played a crucial role in helping the Tigers make an immediate return to the top flight the following year, scoring 22 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions during the 2015-16 campaign.
It was a frustrating end to Hernandez's time at the MKM Stadium, scoring eight goals in 10 appearances in an injury-disrupted 2017-18 season, and he departed the club that summer after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract.
Hernandez's salary fluctuated each season as the Tigers bounced between the Premier League and the Championship.
According to Capology, his wages were highest in his first season at the club, during which he earned £45,000 per week and £2,340,000 per year, although it should be stressed that this is an estimate.
In his final season at the MKM Stadium, Hernandez was Hull's highest paid player, taking home £25,000 per week and £1,300,000 year, with the Uruguayan's wages presumably being cut after relegation from the Premier League.
Hernandez joined CSKA Moscow in August 2018 after his departure from the club, and he went on to have spells with Al Ahli, Internacional, Fluminense and Atletico San Luis before joining Penarol in January.
The striker will be fondly remembered by Tigers fans, particularly for his contribution during the promotion-winning 2015-16 season, and after he posted an emotional message on social media following his departure in 2018, it is clear that Hernandez holds a similar affection towards the club.
"I am writing to say thank you to all the fans of Hull for these 4 beautiful years, in which they have given me all the affection, during good times and also during the not-so good ones. You never stopped showing me your great support and affection, and I am deeply grateful," Hernandez wrote, quoted by Hull Live.
"I will never forget the matches in which you singed my name, this is something that I will have forever in my heart.
"This is why you deserve to know, directly from me, that my time in Hull is now over, everything comes to an end and today I have to say goodbye.
"Sometimes a fair agreement is not reached, and football is like that. I wish you all the best for the next year. "I truly that you can soon return to Premier League because the club deserves it! Thanks to this team, that has given me so many blessings.