Football League World
·9 July 2024
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·9 July 2024
FLW rounds up the latest news at the MKM Stadium
There's just 32 days until the beginning of the Championship season, and Hull City still have plenty of work to do.
With the Tigers' squad returning for pre-season under new head coach Tim Walter last Monday, the rebuilding task facing the former Hamburg SV boss has been laid bare in recent days.
Unsurprisingly, the main crux of news filtering out of the East Yorkshire outfit continues to base itself around the imminent departures of both Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene.
Walter, alongside chairman Acun Ilicali and the City supporters will be hoping for a quick resolution to these ongoing transfer sagas, as the German will be hoping for adequate backing to bring in his own targets in the coming weeks.
With that in mind, Football League World rounds up the latest news at the MKM Stadium.
Given the uncertainty that has surrounded the pending exits of both Greaves and Philogene, with it being reported that Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town have been keen on a 'double-deal' for Hull's prized assets - which would reportedly include a sell-on clause - the aforementioned Ilicali has attempted to provide as much clarity as possible and his own thoughts on developments in an interview with Hull Live.
Greaves' departure is by far the clearest still, with the same publication revealing that City allowed the 23-year-old academy product to begin his medical with the East Anglian outfit on Monday, and if eventually secured.
Ilicali said: "Of course, I'm not happy, I'm sad. First of all, both of them are very good boys and I like them a lot, especially Greaves. He has been here since I came, and I have a special relationship with him, but he mentioned to me that he wants to go to the Premier League."
"That's what, of course, all of the players want, so when he says something like that, my only concern will be his happiness, so I'm sad, but of course, for the club, we will see if it is going to be positive or negative, because now, of course, new players will come," he added.
Ilicali had previously placed his concerns over only being allowed to invest £15m of his own cash into the running of the club this season, and the Turk has now revealed that not all of the significant influx of money expected from these departures can be spent in the window amid the potential breach of FFP regulations.
"Sometimes in Financial Fair Play, you can go very high but when it comes to a certain time, you have to go a little down because of this. You know, the three-year total, £40m rule is applied in the Championship, so last year we pushed our finances to the limits. We will use all our limits again, though I don't want our fans to worry about it."
"We will use both of their income. It will be used for the club. This time the Financial Fair Play will not let me use money from myself. We will bring new players but don't think their money plus my money can be used, because I'm afraid it cannot because then we would pass the limit," the chairman continued.
"Yes, we have to be careful. We are calculating everything one by one, so this is like a big mathematics task that we are discussing every day from every angle. If you spend more in the Championship, this time you have to spend less in the other year to make an average of £14m per year.
Referring back to the former Aston Villa winger, Philogene, there have been contrasting reports from publications in regard to the 22-year-old's next destination.
Barry Cooper of Hull Live revealed on Monday afternoon that the Tigers' own beliefs were that the wide man, who netted 12 Championship goals last term, would follow Greaves' path to Portman Road, and that Everton hadn't struck a deal at that moment in time.
However, it was then reported by TEAMtalk that the Toffees are confident they will beat another suitor in Crystal Palace to Philogene's signature after striking an agreement with Hull, just days after the Eagles submitted their own formal bid for his services.
This report also claimed that Philogene has shown the signs that he wants to move to Merseyside, and that Hull are on board with the pursuit from Sean Dyche's side.
The Athletic reported that a bid has been placed in the region of £16m from Everton, but yet another twist in this saga has unfolded, with Ipswich offering a £18m fee and a five-year deal to the winger, although his former club Villa are ready to activate their matching rights but respect their former winger's decision to prioritise a move to Portman Road.
Talk around potential incomings at the MKM following Ryan Giles' permanent arrival from Luton Town has been sparse, although City are said to be looking at another man with connections to Wolves at present.
That's according to Ben Jacobs via GiveMeSport, with the journalist stating that City may face competition from Blackburn Rovers over a potential loan deal for 18-year-old Leon Chiwome.
Chiwome has impressed in the Molineux youth ranks since moving from AFC Wimbledon two seasons ago, and was rewarded for his fine work in the academy as well as his impressive performances in the first-team at the end of last season - amid an injury crisis for Gary O'Neil - with a new contract.
“Wolves will also assess Leon Chiwome during pre-season after the 18-year-old recently signed a new deal. He could get more first-team opportunities this season, although there is loan interest from Blackburn Rovers and Hull City. A decision will be taken in the coming weeks," Jacobs told the publication.
Furthermore, in the aforementioned interview with Hull Live, Ilicali stated that some deals could be completed prior to City's departure for Istanbul as they continue their pre-season preparations.
"Before Istanbul, I can say one or two signings," he declared.