Hull City will hope to strike Celtic deal and end left-back curse | OneFootball

Greg Taylor would be a welcome solution to Hull City's recent issues at left-back

The left-back position at Hull City is one which the club have struggled with in the past couple of seasons and that theme has more than continued so far this season.

However, when considering the options that the East Yorkshire club have had at their disposal in the past two seasons, with Ruben Vinagre and Ryan Giles, in particular, two high-profile players who should have been capable of filling the void that Callum Elder left at the end of his contract in 2023.

Fast-forward nearly two years, and Hull are once again in the market for yet another figure in this department, as they face competition from Queens Park Rangers and sides on the continent for Celtic's out-of-contract defender Greg Taylor.

And, whilst discussions between the Scotland international and the hierarchy at Parkhead over a new deal have amounted to nothing so far, the Tigers must press forward with their own offer to solve their troubles on the left side of defence, particularly as the aforementioned Giles is once again the subject of interest from his former loan side Middlesbrough.

Ryan Giles hasn't lived up to expectations at Hull City

After earning a £5m move to the Premier League with Luton Town off the back of a stint at the Riverside Stadium which saw Giles register 11 assists and create 23 big chances, it's no surprise that there was a mass wave of hype which surrounded his initial loan move to the MKM Stadium last February.

Despite two assists against Rotherham United and West Bromwich Albion, Tigers supporters didn't quite see the Wolves academy graduate live up to the standards expected, which included a six-game period where the loanee was forced out of the starting lineup by Matty Jacob.

Regardless of Liam Rosenior's dismissal in May, Giles would become the first permanent acquisition of Tim Walter's ill-fated tenure at the MKM, with Hull coughing up a £4m sum and agreeing a three-year contract as part of an 'obligation' with Luton.

That didn't stop Michael Carrick's side from pursuing an instant permanent deal themselves, even though the full-back had only just agreed a long-term move to Hull, as he would later reveal that talks had taken place between the Championship rivals.

But, Giles' form has only regressed further for the side in Black and Amber since, with no goal contributions to his name thus far, added to the fact Hull have struggled for any form of defensive consistency thus far, with just two clean sheets across 26 games.

Many fans have claimed that the 24-year-old has looked a shadow of his former self, which was epitomised in Sunday's FA Cup encounter with Doncaster Rovers, as Luke Molyneux was able to take advantage of a mistake from the left-back to slot past Carl Rushworth.

Ruben Selles then opted to switch Cody Drameh to his unnatural side in place of Giles and bring on Lewie Coyle in his place, just nine minutes after Hull fell behind.

It was reported by Hull Live that Giles was expected to make a January switch to re-join Carrick's side, who currently sit in fifth place, before Football League World exclusively revealed that talks are already at an advanced stage between the respective parties, as Giles will provide competition for the likes of Neto Borges.

Greg Taylor would provide a strong solution to Hull City's left-back conundrum

With Giles looking set to depart, it comes as no surprise that Hull have seen themselves simultaneously linked with a move for the aforementioned Taylor, who remains a regular under Brendan Rodgers.

Taylor would add a wealth of experience to a confidence-shot back-line, having featured over 190 times for the Hoops after joining from Kilmarnock in 2019.

The bulk of his appearances in Green and White have come since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, having made 89 appearances in all competitions in the last two seasons, as well as starting in a large proportion of SPFL encounters this season.

The full-back has already registered five assists and created seven big chances in the SPFL, but his defensive metrics would also benefit a side like Hull, who need a player capable of being defensively sound as well as a threat going forward, which, unfortunately, isn't what Giles has become at the MKM.

Celtic have by far and away the best defensive record in the Scottish top flight too, and despite talks of a move away, Taylor has been a big part of that, winning over 50 percent of his duels in the league campaign, being dribbled past less than once per game on average, as well as being extremely strong when it comes to recovery tackles.

It remains to be seen whether Hull can fend off their divisional rivals, Dinamo Zagreb and Trabzonspor for Taylor's services with a potential cut-price deal, given his contract situation.

However, there's no disputing that he would be a welcome solution to their current issues.