Hull City somewhat surprised many with the news last week that former Olympiakos boss Marco Silva has been appointed as their new manager until the end of the season, with the 39-year-old Portuguese coach replacing Mike Phelan as the man aiming to keep the Tigers in the top flight.
Phelan was unfortunate not to be given the January transfer window to get in some new faces to help the club’s bid for survival, but that is a luxury that will be afforded to Silva. With Hull having issues at both ends of the pitch, it’s quite obvious as to the kind of players that will be topping his shopping list, too.
Hull have now got their third manager in the space of six months, a trend that does not necessarily lend itself to consistency or cohesion, and if the club are to have any chance of staying up then they will need to add to their squad this month.
Now, let’s look at THREE players who could be making their way to The KCOM Stadium…
Alexandru Maxim
Marco Silva’s first bit of business after taking charge of the club could very well be snapping up Romanian Alexandru Maxim. The 26-year-old currently plies his trade in the German second division with Stuttgart and is being eyed by a number of clubs looking to add fresh faces this month.
After starting his career in Spain with Espanyol before working his way back to his Romanian homeland, Maxim is currently in his 5th season with Stuttgart, but with Premier League interest, it looks like his time in Germany could be coming to an end.
Maxim, a Romania international, is usually deployed as an attacking midfield playmaker but can also be utilised as a winger. With Hull light on attacking options, his versatility would give them a boost in that department especially if Robert Snodgrass is to leave the club during this transfer window.
Tyrone Mings
It’s been well publicised that Hull’s defence has been leaky in the first half of the season, which is an issue that will have to be resolved if they are to have a fighting chance of staying up. Someone who may well be able to come to the aid of the club is Tyrone Mings.
Mings’ career thus far has been plagued by a number of injuries and his time at Bournemouth has not been all that memorable. After suffering a serious knee injury in 2015, Mings was then ruled out for over a year and has failed to feature in Eddie Howe’s plans since.
With Mings costing the Cherries £8m back in 2015 they certainly won’t be ready to let the former Ipswich defender depart on the cheap, but they will also fail to recoup their full investment. Should Hull come in with a bid of around £4m then a move to Hull then becomes a realistic possibility.
Oumar Niasse
For all their problems at the back, Hull have just as many up front. The Humberside club are the lowest scorers in the Premier League so far his season and their shyness in front of goal has been a major factor in their situation in the first half of the campaign.
Someone who may well be able to remedy that situation is Oumar Niasse. Niasse is almost the forgotten man at Goodison Park after arriving at the club this time last year. Signed for £13.5m by previous Everton boss Roberto Martinez, the Senegalese forward has been frozen out by current manager Ronald Koeman.
Hull would surely prefer to capture the services of Niasse on a loan deal until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move should the club beat the drop come May. The only sticking point is that the Toffees will probably want to recoup a large portion of that transfer fee and with the fact that he has yet to score in the Premier League, that represents somewhat of a gamble. In fairness, it’s a gamble that Hull may well have to take.
