Hull City must work on summer transfer deal for Luton Town man ASAP: View | OneFootball

Hull City's January transfer dealings have given Liam Rosenior's side a major boost in the ongoing play-off battle.

Despite being in and around the top six for a number of weeks, an inconsistent end to 2023 and beginning of 2024 meant that reinforcements were a must at the MKM Stadium.

However, the deals which Rosenior and chairman Acun Ilicali were able to pull off further nailed down their ambitions of bringing Premier League football back to East Riding of Yorkshire for the first time in seven years, as well as leaving most Championship sides to look on with envy.

Hull have utilised the loan market to great effect throughout this season, having brought in the likes of Tyler Morton and Liam Delap in on a temporary basis in the summer window, before adding the services of Fabio Carvalho, Anass Zaroury and Ryan Giles for the remainder of the campaign in the recent winter window.

Whilst the two attacking players have added flair in abundance alongside Jaden Philogene, who is wanted by a plethora of Premier League sides given his form, the Tigers must pinpoint Giles as a top priority in the summer, regardless of whether promotion is achieved or not.

Those who have cast a keen eye on developments in the second tier for quite some time will be all too aware of Giles' capabilities at this level, which initially stemmed from multiple loan spells away from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 24-year-old has always been someone who looks for the licence to get forward whenever possible, and in his first season at this level he created 11 big chances whilst on loan at Coventry City and Rotherham United, before bettering that number by five the following season whilst plying his trade for Cardiff and Blackburn.

However, the most productive season of Giles' career came at Middlesbrough last term, who were in a similar predicament to what he finds himself in for the East Yorkshire side, with the added bonus of him being Michael Carrick and currently, Rosenior's main outlet in the left-back role.

11 assists, 23 big chances created and 2 key passes per 90 minutes last season further echoed his strengths as a creative hub at left-back, with his attacking capabilities greatly outweighing his defensive skill.

Ryan Giles' influence on Hull City is already apparent

As a result of Alfie Doughty's fine form at Luton, Giles had to deal with the frustrations of being second-fiddle in the Premier League following his summer move to Kenilworth Road, but he has re-emerged in the second tier like somebody who had never been away.

And in the short spell at the MKM Stadium, it's taken no time whatsoever for the former England under-20 international to make his mark on proceedings, producing a lethal combination on the left flank with the aforementioned Zaroury and playing a key part in a full-throttle system which has seen Hull pick up 13 points out of 18 since his debut on February 3.

His arrival has also benefitted those around him, as Jacob Greaves has reverted to the centre of defence to produce stellar displays, which included his two-goal showing in a dramatic 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town.

As for Giles, there were some question marks raised over his defensive attributes, but the Telford-born full-back soon quashed those by averaging 1.5 tackles per match and 3.2 clearances too.

He has also provided one crucial assist in Black and Amber so far, as he provided Noah Ohio with his first goal for the club in the 2-1 comeback victory against Rotherham on February 13.

Hull City must convince Ryan Giles to join permanently as soon as possible

As previously mentioned, it's paramount that Hull look to exercise the option to buy clause which was inserted in Giles' loan deal last month.

If they are to be promoted then no doubt Giles will be hoping for a greater crack at the whip in the top flight, and would be certain to do so given the fact that his deputy in the form of Matty Jacob is currently out of contract in the summer.

Whilst it doesn't bear thinking about right now given the strong position Hull have put themselves in, he should still remain a priority if they are still a Championship side.

Giles has already built up a rapport with the supporters, and he could have the chance to be part of what is an exciting project in this part of the world for the years to come.

To do that though, the Hull hierarchy and head coach Rosenior will have to convince him that coming back to the Championship permanently - should City stay down - is the right move for his career, as a contract still needs to be agreed irrespective of the option to buy that is already in the loan deal.

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Hull - having seen what they already have from Giles - should be putting in that work right now.