I hope Hull City make major transfer change to address recurring problem
For a team mired in a relegation battle, Hull City's winter transfer window went about as well as it could have done, given the circumstances.
For those wondering, those circumstances include being in a relegation battle and the notoriously difficult conditions that all clubs talk about in January, when prices rise and player trading is genuinely really tough in such a captive, condensed market with time at a premium.
Whether City will regret not bringing in cover at left-back will become clearer as the season wears on, but that was very much the manager's decision, and he will hope that call works out in his favour. Eight players were brought in, and while not all will be a success, we've already seen some have a big impact in terms of goals alone.
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One thing that has become clear at City over the past few seasons is the need to try and reduce the number of players coming and going for a multitude of reasons, two of them being the impact on the budget and in the dressing room. Successful teams are built on solid foundations, a core group that doesn't require a huge turnover.
Financially, signing players and then cutting them lose just a few months later is expensive and can often leave clubs with a bill long after that player has left the club. Sometimes it can't be helped, but in just this window alone, we've seen summer signings Marvin Mehlem, Ryan Giles, Chris Bedia and Anthony Racioppi all leave while Carl Rushworth's loan was ended at the request of Brighton and Hove Albion, through no fault of the Tigers.
City have signed 25 players since the end of last season and that is a problem. Having that amount of new arrivals in such a short space of time makes it difficult for players to settle, to build relationships and for the manager to get any great level of cohesion in his team.
Of course, when you're a club in the Championship with one of the smaller budgets and do not have the benefit of parachute payments, very often you're relying on loan players. Unless you can make those permanent deals further down the line, that creates a natural turnover at the end of every season, as we saw last summer. When it comes to the transfer food chain, the Tigers are not dining at the top table but certainly making the best of what they can, as we've seen with players like Jaden Philogene and Fabio Carvalho arrive.
The Tigers also had some big departures in Jacob Greaves, Jaden Philogene, Ozan Tufan and Jean Michael Seri - big performers and big characters, all of which needed replacing.
By the time all the players had left, a fairly big rebuilding job was required and perhaps, that's a contributing factor as to why we've seen this season play out in the way it has, coupled with the manager change not working out.
All being well, City will scrap their way to survival and be a Championship club this summer, and Ruben Selles will have the close season to prepare for next term, with the Tigers arriving into the new campaign in a much stronger position after a much calmer period.
What has been positive about the club's recruitment has been signing players on permanent contracts, both in the summer and during the winter window, which not only helps the continuity in the summer but also gives the Tigers assets that are worth something should they need to sell.
Abu Kamara, Charlie Hughes, Cody Drameh, Liam Millar, Mohamed Belloumi, Kasey Palmer, Steven Alzate arrived on permanent deals in the summer, with Eliot Matazo, Matt Crooks, Kyle Joseph and John Egan all signing deals in the winter window. This will give Selles a solid footing this summer and hopefully mean there won't need to be the level of arrivals we've see previously.
While fans and the media are obsessed with transfers, for clubs, less is more, and for City, Selles will hope for a much calmer summer, which will be just what he and the club need.
