Hull City: Marco Silva signing became brief cult hero despite Premier League relegation | OneFootball

Oumar Niasse joined Hull on loan from Everton in 2017

The 2016/17 season was a rollercoaster of emotions for those associated with Hull City, despite the fact it ended with relegation from the Premier League.

Just weeks before the beginning of their return to the top flight, after defeating Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium, Steve Bruce resigned amid a lack of backing in the transfer window.

This and several injuries led to Hull somehow defeating reigning champions Leicester City and Swansea City with just 13 senior players available, before form would eventually take a massive nosedive under Mike Phelan, who recorded just one more league victory in charge - although progress to the EFL Cup semi-finals would be made.

Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant at Manchester United would then be dismissed following a 3-1 defeat by West Brom in early January, with Hull opting to appoint the then-unknown Portuguese head coach, Marco Silva.

With the Tigers three points adrift of safety and the joint-lowest scorers in the league at the time of his appointment, reinforcements were a must, and although the end goal of survival wasn't achieved, some of Silva's short-term recruits managed to endear themselves to Hull supporters.

Oumar Niasse was offered a reprieve at Hull City

One of seven additions to the squad across Silva's solitary transfer window was the loan signing of Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse from Everton.

Just 12 months before, the big frontman had moved to Goodison Park in Roberto Martinez's final season on Merseyside as part of a reported £13.5m switch from Lokomotiv Moscow after accumulating a total of 19 goals and 14 assists in just 42 appearances for the Russian outfit.

However, Niasse was unable to translate such form into the English game, as he made just five appearances - all as a substitute - for the Toffees.

Ronald Koeman then took charge of the Blues and banished the striker to the club's Under-23's, with the Dutchman giving a damning verdict on Niasse's future.

"Of course I mentioned before the season started that he’s a player who will not be in my plans but he’s still under contract and he needs game time for if there is interest from other clubs. Normally we have enough strikers and different strikers to what he is. I prefer these people and not Niasse in the team," he said.

Fortunately for all involved, there was interest from the struggling Tigers, who announced the double-signing of Niasse and creative midfielder, Evandro, ahead of Silva's first Premier League game in charge.

Oumar Niasse became a brief cult hero at the MKM Stadium

The nine-time international's first two games in a Hull shirt were uneventful cameos in a 3-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth and a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions, Chelsea, before the striker netted his first goal for the club in the second-leg victory - yet aggregate defeat - against Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-final.

Niasse's next goal for City would then mean a lot to his temporary and parent clubs in equal measure, as he latched on to a delightful through-ball from Inter Milan loanee, Andrea Ranocchia, to slot the ball under Simon Mignolet and secure a 2-0 win over Liverpool at the MKM Stadium.

After a period of further inconsistency for Hull and the striker, Niasse would then net a second-half double in 27 minutes against relegation rivals Swansea City, before scoring his last goal in Black and Amber against fellow strugglers Middlesbrough in a pulsating encounter which finished 4-2 to the Tigers.

Despite a relative upturn in personal form, what the Senegalese is perhaps most remembered for is the most bizarre of red cards against Watford just two weeks later.

Niasse was judged to have hacked M'Baye Niang with a high foot in the eyes of Bobby Madley after 25 minutes, with the forward's reaction echoing the same stance as almost everybody else inside the MKM Stadium on that April afternoon, before Hull went on to ease such frustrations with a 2-0 victory.

Unsurprisingly, the decision was overturned three days later.

But, Niasse and the rest of the team were unable to reach the same level of performance in order to achieve their short-term goal, with a run of four games without victory, coupled with Swansea's upturn in results, succumbing Hull to relegation with one game to spare, following a 4-0 battering at Selhurst Park at the hands of Crystal Palace.

The striker would then bid farewell, alongside his temporary boss and fellow loanees - Ranocchia, Omar Elabdellaoui, Lazar Markovic and Alfred N'Diaye - as Hull were sent to the cleaners by Tottenham Hotspur the following week, losing 7-1.

After returning to Goodison, Niasse would then score nine goals in 26 appearances in all competitions the following season before leaving the club in 2020, with an unsuccessful loan spell at Cardiff City sandwiched between them.

The 34-year-old has since gone on an unexpected path in terms of clubs, signing for Huddersfield Town - where he failed to make an appearance, Morecambe, Burton Albion and most recently, non-league Macclesfield.