Hull City: Acun Ilicali should always consider replicating deal that eventually landed £12m from Sunderland - View | OneFootball

This summer will see a lot of change at Hull City, firstly in the managerial department.

Besides the obvious, there's also a lot of change to be expected when it comes to the playing staff, after the club's retained list was recently announced.

There are a number of players, however, who have seen their market valuations increase after successful individual seasons, which could attract significant interest from clubs higher up in the Premier League, given their potential.

Therefore, perhaps Acun Ilicali and the club hierarchy could look to emulate a potential deal that mirrors the path of Michael Turner, who became a real success story at the MKM Stadium, as well as making the club a significant profit.

Michael Turner's bargain move to Hull City

Michael Turner was a highly-rated League One centre back at the time of his move to Hull City, which was reportedly in the region of £350,000 from Brentford.

It took some time for the defender to adapt to the rigours of the Championship, which was echoed by the man who brought him to the club alongside Dean Marney and Sam Ricketts, in the form of Phil Parkinson.

"It does take time to adapt to that level but we wanted to sign some young players with potential. They certainly had that and I was really pleased to see them help the club win promotion," he said, as quoted by Hull Live back in 2017.

In his first season at the club, the Charlton Athletic youth prospect scored three times in 43 league appearances, with his best form coinciding with the side's eventual run to Championship safety under Phil Brown.

Turner's immense performances in back-to-back seasons

Furthermore, it was the following two seasons which would drastically change the landscape of the club and Turner as an individual, as he would become one of the best-performing defenders in the second tier, as well as continuing to be a goal threat from set plays.

Across the 2007/08 season, Turner netted five times, which included crucial headers against Watford and Scunthorpe United in City's eventual run to the play-offs, forming a formidable partnership with Wayne Brown, which was evident on no other occasion than the play-off final itself, where his remarkable second-half block denied Lee Trundle an equaliser as Hull edged out Bristol City at Wembley Stadium.

The following season - Hull's first ever in the top flight - saw Turner increase his stock even further as a defensive colossus, as well as scoring on four occasions in the league and once more in the FA Cup against Millwall. In consecutive years, the centre-back was voted as the club's Player of the Year.

By this point, the then 25-year-old had already established himself in the top flight, which led to Phil Brown claiming his defender was on the cusp of the England squad.

"I had a casual conversation with the England physio at a dinner last Thursday and he said Fabio Capello was interested in Jimmy Bullard and Michael.

"It was a conversation to gauge if the players were fit enough to play against Spain," Brown said in February 2009.

Hull City's significant profit from Michael Turner deal

Whilst an England call-up never came Turner's way, his rich vein of form that continued despite Hull's dire overall run in 2009 saw the club end up with a significant profit on the initial £350,000 deal three years previous.

After making four appearances at the beginning of the following season, the defender was eventually sold to Sunderland for a reported £12m in August 2009, joining the Black Cats on a four-year contract. To add insult to injury for City supporters, he would mark his debut for the club with a trademark header in a 4-1 rout against his former club, who would eventually fall into financial ruin just months later.

Replicating Michael Turner's success story

Whilst the ending there isn't what any City fan would hope to go through ever again, Turner's success and progression in East Yorkshire is hopefully something evident in the not too distant future.

In fact, in Jacob Greaves, Ilicali may not even have to spend a penny to emulate the scenario, with the Hull-born defender attracting Premier League suitors after continuing his impressive development after coming through the club's academy.

Supporters obviously want Greaves to stay and realise his Premier League dream with his hometown club, despite the fact he's definitely the closest to emulating Turner's trajectory at present, with a buy low, sell high model quite hard to replicate in the current market when it comes to English talent.