There's always one very simple question that can be applied when reflecting on the business carried out in any transfer window, whether it be in the summer or winter. 'Is Hull City's squad stronger now than it was on January 1, 2025?'

Unequivocally, the answer is yes, and without any further assessment, City are in a much stronger place going into the final 16 games of the season with the eight additions that have been made than they were when the stained glass windows of the transfer market creaked open for business once again.

City ended January 1 with a 1-0 home loss to Middlesbrough, which, in truth, was extremely harsh on how the game played out, but Ruben Selles had a lack of options at his disposal when he turned to his bench. Three players who came off the bench on New Year's Day afternoon - Ryan Giles, Chris Bedia and Xavier Simons - are no longer at the club, while reserve goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi was an unused substitute, and he's since departed.

READ MORE: Hull City confirm departure after bizarre transfer saga comes to an end

READ MORE: Former Sheffield United star joins Hull City in late transfer deadline day deal

Four of the matchday squad have all left, and Abdus Omur, who started and played 59 minutes, could yet leave along with Dogukan Sinik before the Turkish window closes on February 15.

In that hugely frustrating 2-1 home loss to Stoke City on Saturday, Selles' squad boasted six of the seven new signings - Matt Crooks, Joe Gelhardt, Nordin Amrabat, Kyle Joseph, Eliot Matazo and Louie Barry; suddenly, there is squad depth. The head coach has options all over the pitch, especially in the top third, where games are won and lost.

Matazo became the third of those players to get off the mark with his first City goal, and though the Tigers failed to build on his early goal, his display was full of promise.

Selles has got good options now, and apart from Lincoln, we've seen a bit from each of them. What the Brazilian has to offer, we'll have to wait and see, given he's the one yet to feature in a matchday squad. At some point before the end of the month, it's hoped Charlie Hughes and Kasey Palmer will return to the fold and add further depth, quality and options.

The biggest challenge for Jared Dublin in his first window as newly-appointed sporting director, was to act on Selles' demand of adding pace and threat in the final third, and that has been the main focus. Of the eight arrivals, only Egan and Matazo were the more defensively minded of the signings, though, in Matazo's case, he can play further forward and get on the end of things, as we saw against Stoke. All the others were attack-minded players, with Selles determined to turn the Tigers from a slow, one-paced outfit into one with threats from all angles, as we saw at Sheffield United.

In Matazo and Joseph, City have spent good money on two young players, which is vitally important, especially in trying to get away with the huge amount of churn in every window, while Gelhardt could well become a permanent member of the dressing room further down the track, but that's a conversation for another day.

Given the devastating injuries picked up by Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi earlier in the season, adding wide players was another focus. Gelhardt and Barry are superb options at this level; Amrabat adds experience and character to the dressing room. The arrival of Barry is similar to last January when Fabio Carvalho arrived, with many fans outside of East Yorkshire wondering how City pulled it off.

Their relationship with Villa, Selles' way of operating and the determination to get the deal over the line were all crucial factors, but he will need time and space to adjust to a level he's never played at before, though you sense he's a quick learner, and given the options elsewhere, can be drip-fed in - a bit like we saw with Omur last year.

Sorba Thomas was a player tracked heavily throughout the month, but Nantes' insistence on not cancelling his loan from Huddersfield Town dragged that out, so it's one they may well revisit in the summer, depending on how Millar and Belloumi progress, and if Villa do allow Barry back out next term.

Arguably, the only area where they've been unable to strengthen is at left-back. After months of talks, the club finally sanctioned Ryan Giles' return to Middlesbrough, leaving Sean McLoughlin and Matty Jacob to fight it out there, with Cody Drameh and Lewie Coyle capable of filling that void in an emergency if required. Having failed to bolster their attacking ranks last January following the injury to Liam Delap, they'll hope that 12 months on, the left-back area isn't something they're left to rue in a similar fashion, though that's easier to cover than up front.

City had other options, but Selles made it clear he wanted Charlie Taylor or nothing. After agreeing a fee with Southampton and terms with Taylor's camp, City heard nothing back and eventually set a timescale for the York-born defender. Still hearing nothing, they walked away - and rightly so.

Selles stressed throughout that he only wanted players who were fully committed to Hull City, and not getting Taylor would have been disappointing, but the fact that the 30-year-old went quiet suggests he wasn't fussed about joining. and that's his prerogative.

In many ways, you have to applaud that stance, and not just signing a player for the sake of it, but you just hope their inability to bring in quality in that department doesn't come back to bite them on the posterior.

Signing a central defender was initially on the agenda, but the form and application of Fin Burns changed that thought process, with the Tigers halting talks with Watford over Ryan Porteous owing to the turnaround in Burns' circumstances, while it became clear Nottingham Forest would not part with Willy Boly.

Burns has impressed Selles, so he stayed after talks with Manchester City and with Charlie Hughes back from injury next month, Selles felt content, though the manner of the two goals conceded against the Potters raised more alarm bells, and in a bid to sure up that area, John Egan was a deadline day arrival. Only 13 games in a season-and-a-bit is a concern, but his experience will bring valuable benefit.

As long as Egan isn't using this as a final payday-style move, as we see so often at clubs in January, then his arrival could be a sensible one, but it's up to him to prove that he's still got something to offer given his recent record.

Throughout the window, the Tigers have been in dialogue with Liverpool over a potential move for Tyler Morton. Unfortunately, the figures to do that deal were always going to make it difficult, and though they pushed, it was a non-starter.

They've also been able to move players not in Selles plans out of the club, and while they'll still be paying a chunk of wages to the likes of Giles, freeing up space in the squad was vital, and even Yuriel Celi was moved on, permanently. Mason Burstow came close to leaving on deadline day, with Plymouth Argyle trying to get a deal done, but that didn't happen and there was also a possibility of a late arrival from the continent in the final hours, though that didn't come to anything, either.

One key trend throughout the window has been the lack of rumours and speculation. City have been keen to keep their cards close to their chest throughout, having felt burnt in the summer when Kieffer Moore was expected to fly out and join the training camp in Istanbul, only to have his head turned at the last minute and go to Sheffield United.

City have kept things low key for the most part, and tried to be clinical in getting their business done and dusted, and largely, it's worked. Aside from a couple of targets, they''ve got everybody they've gone for, and of all the clubs at the bottom end of the table, they've had the best window, and they needed it.

This was Ilicali's biggest test so far in the transfer market. He needed to back his manager with the players he felt capable of coming in and having maximum impact, and that's what's been done, especially when you factor in their league position and how tough it is to convince players to come and get involved in a relegation battle. Lessons of the summer in terms of being slow to get work done were learnt, with the bulk of their work done well in advance of the deadline, during what is a notoriously difficult window to get business done quickly.

Compared to previous deadline days, Monday turned into something of a non-event, but given their earlier business, finances and various other factors, there was no need for any late panic.

The challenge now is for the players, the manager and his coaching staff to deliver enough good results in the next 16 games to make sure City are well clear of trouble and can put the building blocks in place to go into the summer full steam ahead and prepare for next season, and ensure what we've seen this term isn't allowed to happen again. And if they can find a way to win a game or two at the MKM Stadium, that would be an added bonus.

There can be no excuses now. Selles has got what he wanted; he's got quality and depth in his ranks, and barring any more disastrous injury problems, the path to safety, while tricky, should be more than achievable.

How would you rate Hull City's transfer window? Have your say in the comments below....