CITY SET TO SPLASH THE CASH

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SERGEJ Jakirovic has confirmed that he expects two new arrivals before Hull City head to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon, with the Tigers closing in on their 12th and 13th signings of the summer.Mohamed-ali Cho’s £13m move from Nice is set to be confirmed

27 ago 2026 - Hull Daily Mail

By BARRY COOPER barry.cooper@reachplc.com @bazdjcooper

Jakirovic, who watched a muchchanged side beat Stoke City 5-4 on penalties to progress into the third round of the Carabao Cup for the first time in six years, could see his squad boosted ahead of that crunch visit to the CBS Arena.

Mohamed-ali Cho’s £13m move from Nice is set to be confirmed, and so, too, is the arrival of Union Berlin striker Ilyas Ansah, with the Tigers on the cusp of confirming a £15m deal with both players penning five-year deals at the MKM Stadium.

The Tigers are also pushing hard to sign Sorba Thomas from Stoke City, with the winger creating the goal against City on Tuesday evening, but so far, the Potters have rebuffed their advances, though it’s expected progress will be made on that in the next few days.

Jakirovic was in a playful mood with the media at the bet365 Stadium, and would not be drawn on names, though he did suggest Thomas was a terrific performer at Championship level.

“I was on the touchline,” he told Hull Live with a big grin. “I don’t have a mobile phone with me, so thank God I’m rested for two hours. There’s no news. I don’t know. You know better than me.

“We will see when he will come,” he said of Ali Cho. “No, really, I don’t know anything about this, anything, so Ali Cho, Ansah, Sorba Thomas, we are linked with 200 players.

“Every player who is existing, he’s linked with us. He (Ansah) is a player of Union Berlin - zu guter Spieler (a good player in German).

“I know everything about Sorba Thomas from the Championship, he’s a difference maker, and he’s a very good player, and that’s it.

From what I know, two (new arrivals). I just don’t know who.”

On the victory itself, which saw City book their place in Wednesday night’s third round draw, Jakirovic was pleased with the performance, having made 11 changes from the weekend win over Manchester United.

“We broke one more record (getting through). Now I have two in a row on penalties (after FA Cup win over Blackburn). It was a good opportunity for other players to play, and after Man United, you know, a lot of excitement, a lot of stress, and a few problems with some players, so I will use this competition to give other players a chance to get into a rhythm because you never know when we will need them and also that we have more depth in the squad for the next games.”

Akintola could have had a bucketful on the night, with Jakirovic deploying him up front in the absence of Oli Mcburnie and no other senior options.

“He (Akintola) put in a lot of effort and energy. He tried to press there together with Kieran Dowell, so he did everything that we agreed on, and he just missed at least one goal.”

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Matty Jacob is set to leave Hull City

Matty Jacob transfer decision explained as defender faces exit

HULL City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has confirmed the club will look to find a move for Matty Jacob before the transfer window closes on Tuesday week.

Jacob is unlikely to be part of City’s Premier League squad and while he’s nursing a hip injury picked up in pre-season, the Tigers will attempt to move him on - on loan or permanently.

The 25-year-old has been at the MKM Stadium since the age of nine but it took until 2024 for him to make his senior debut under Liam Rosenior in a game against Sheffield Wednesday.

His most recent appearance for the Tigers came in the 3-2 defeat at home to Bristol City in early

February one of five outings in six Championship games, before another injury hampered his progress. Those displays came after his loan spell at Reading in the first half of the season was ended prematurely because of more injury woe.

Injuries have blighted his career so far, which has limited him to just 80 appearances in his career, the majority of which have come in the National League (33), with only 27 in the Championship.

Ryan Giles and Matt Targett are both above Jacob in the pecking order this season, while Swedish international Elliot Stroud can also fill in on the left side, if required.

“We will see what happens,” Jakirovic told Hulllive. “I would like to find more minutes for him. I don’t know if it will be on loan or permanent, it depends on the club decision, but it’s better for him because we have three players in this position.”

Jacob’s expected departure, provided he can prove his fitness, will not be the only exit from the MKM Stadium before next Tuesday night’s 11pm deadline. David Akintola is also expected to move on, provided the Tigers bring in their two primary winger targets.

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Big decision looms for boss Jakirovic

TIGERS KNOW THEY MUST TRIM DOWN SQUAD

27 Aug 2026 - Hull Daily Mail

By BARRY COOPER barry.cooper@reachplc.com @bazdjcooper

HULL City head coach Sergej Jakirovic says he will make a decision on the future of some of his players in the next 24 hours.Sergej Jakirovic with Jens Hjerto-dahl, Tyrell Sellars-fleming and Cody Drameh

Jakirovic knows he must make some tough decisions about whether or not to include some of his fringe players in the Tigers’ 25-man squad, which will have to be submitted after the transfer window closes next month.

The City boss handed some of his squad players a chance to impress at Stoke City on Tuesday night, and they responded by winning a penalty shoot-out after the tie finished 1-1 in the Potteries.

Kieran Dowell crunched in a terrific equaliser to make his case to Jakirovic for being in his squad, while David Akintola and Abdus Omur were also given rare starts and a chance to impress, though in truth, neither are likely to be included at this stage.

Dowell has previously spoken about being unsure where his future lies, given the number of new arrivals and more expected before Tuesday night’s 11pm deadline.

Jakirovic says he will meet with Acun Ilicali and sporting director Okan Ozkan to discuss how the new arrivals look, and what needs to be done to move players out to ensure they don’t have a huge group sat in the stands and not able to play.

“It’s a good question because if we sign more players, we have at least 25, so there is also a danger that we cannot register some players,” he told Hull Live.

“We have to sit tomorrow (Wednesday) to see how many players come and then what we need to do.

“It’s also about my decisions and how I see it, but up to now, he (Dowell) is with us, and we will see what happens with the board, Mr Chairman and the sporting director (Okan Ozkan). We will see what we need to do.”

City had been working on some exits before Saturday’s Premier League trip to Coventry City. Jakirovic, though, says those initial plans at this stage have changed.

“This is also very important,” he said of moving players out. “We had one plan, but now it’s completely different. It’s like the wind, you know, it changes all the time.

“Some players will go on loan, or maybe sell, and then it depends on who will come in. It depends on that; we will see because we cannot register over 25 players.”

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Debutants shine brightly in Stoke

BUT CITY’S GAPING HOLE HIGHLIGHTED

27 Aug 2026 - Hull Daily Mail

By BARRY COOPER barry.cooper@reachplc.com @bazdjcooper

HULL City managed to secure their safe passage through to the third round of the League Cup for the first time in six years, though they needed penalties to see off Stoke City after a 1-1 draw.

Kieran Dowell’s cracking strike before the break cancelled out Robert Bozenik’s header a few minutes earlier, and though the Tigers had a flurry of chances to kill the game off in normal time, they needed spot-kicks to secure their place in Wednesday night’s draw.

Dillon Phillips did his case for a squad berth no harm by saving George Hirst’s penalty, which allowed Mo Belloumi the chance to fire in the winner, after Morita, Paddy Mcnair, Elliot Stroud and Liam Millar had all buried their kicks impressively.

Here, we look back at another victory in the Potteries ....

An important win

It might not be the significance of Premier League points at stake, but for the integration of new players and getting other players valuable minutes, winning these games is absolutely crucial.

Winning is a big habit, whatever game you’re playing. The fact that the Tigers are in the next round gives them another 90 minutes next month, and for the new players coming in, it’s an opportunity to play without the pressure of points being on the line. It also keeps their momentum going and the good feeling around the club alive and well.

More new arrivals will come before the deadline next Tuesday night, and being in the next round gives them the chance to blood them in. It’s also pivotal for players coming back from injury, like Morita and, eventually, Joe Gelhardt.

The big gaping hole

It’s plainly obvious where the Tigers’ biggest weakness is in their squad, and it comes up front. Oli Mcburnie was never going to play at Stoke, and rightly so, but his absence showed just what work still needs to be done.

Ilyas Ansah and Mohamed-ali Cho may be on the cusp of joining City, and their arrivals can’t come soon enough because they just lack any kind of quality without their star man. Having to play a winger up front says it all about the lack of options available to the manager.

David Akintola gave his all, but in truth, his finishing was so very poor. He’s a winger being played up front, and it showed, not only his lack of composure in front of goal, but also the lack of serious quality in the absence of Mcburnie. Those new attacking arrivals have to be finished quickly, because the Tigers have zero firepower if their talisman isn’t around, and that cannot be the case.

Injury latest

Semi Ajayi, Oli Mcburnie, Matt Crooks, Lewie Coyle and Oli Mcburnie were all rested for the game in the Potteries and will be back in the fold for the weekend.

Coyle is set to return to training on Thursday, which is good news, and he’ll be joined by the rest of those given the night off on Tuesday.

Ryan Giles and Nobel Mendy both had complaints on the back of United, but both were on the bench at Stoke, although they didn’t get on the pitch.

Amid all the concern about injuries, there is some good news that those players who picked up problems at the weekend will be available for Coventry.

Some really encouraging debuts

Irrespective of the outcome of the shoot-out, the debuts of Lucas Gourna-douath and Lucas Herrington were really promising, and showed why there’s so much excitement about their arrivals. The second-half cameo display from Hidemasa Morita was another bright spot because he showed some sublime touches.

Herrington just oozes quality and doesn’t look anything like the 18-year-old that he is. He’s commanding, calm and makes some really good decisions. Though he was barely tested in the second half, we saw enough in the first to be hugely impressed.

As for Gourna-douath, his movement, awareness and ability to move the ball were impressive, as was his determination to carry it forward. To say that was his first outing bodes well for what’s to come in the future.

Matt Targett looked really steady and impressive, too, while Morita was a pleasure to watch during his cameo, and made it all look so easy. The prospect of him getting up to speed and being available for the Premier League is genuinely exciting.

Getting him on the pitch was absolutely crucial, and to say it was his first appearance in a competitive game since the end of May, he looked really sharp.

Whatever the outcome of the penalty shootout in the end, the night would have been viewed as a success for the way in which the players came through. The fact

Attention turns to Saturday

Already, some have dubbed the visit to Coventry on Saturday afternoon as a sixpointer in just the second game of the season. That seems a bit of a stretch, but given how many expect the campaign to play out, few could argue it is a crucial contest between two of the newly promoted sides.

Is the pressure on Coventry? Well, after City’s belting win over Manchester United, coupled with the Sky Blues’ heavy, if not unexpected defeat at champions Arsenal, the Tigers will certainly arrive confident.

They’ll expect a similar atmosphere to the one which greeted United at the MKM Stadium, and they’ll need to stand up to that occasion first and foremost, but a positive result would be absolutely priceless.

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Robins fires bullish Sorba Thomas response amid Hull bid

STOKE City manager Mark Robins says any club not interested in star man Sorba Thomas would be ‘mental’ but stopped short of discussing Hull City’s rejected bid.

Robins started the Welsh international on Tuesday night against the Tigers in the Carabao Cup despite the Premier League newboys seeing a bid turned down on Monday.

Thomas, who scored a stunner against City last season, carved out the opener for Robert Bozenik to give the Potters the lead, before Kieran Dowell crunched in a stunning equaliser barely five minutes later. Sergej Jakirovic’s men eventually won the penalty shoot-out 5-4, though the wide-man scored his spot-kick.

Hull Live understands Thomas wants the move to East Yorkshire, and is hopeful both clubs can agree a deal before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

“An update on Sorba? He’s our player. That’s the update. There’s nothing to report,” Robins told the Sentinel. “I was asked downstairs if it was strange for Sorba, but he’s our player; it’s not strange for him at all. He’s putting on the Stoke

City shirt, which he’s proud to do, and put in a performance like he did. He’s made the goal, got another assist, there is nothing else to say.”

City chief Sergej Jakirovic spoke briefly about Thomas when asked by Hull Live, and described the Wales international as “a difference maker” who he knew all about in the Championship.

Given Thomas was involved directly in 23 goals last term, scoring 10 and coming out with 13 assists, the most in the second-tier, Robins says it’s no surprise there’s interest in the 27-year-old.

“One hundred per cent, what you’ve said there is absolutely true. If people aren’t interested in Sorba Thomas, then they’re mental. The fact is that he had the highest output of any winger in the division last season, scored 10 goals, 13 goals he created, 23 goal involvements, and that’s something he can even surpass. I’d be shocked if people weren’t keen on him, but he’s our player, and he’s doing pretty well for us.”

If City can strike a deal with the Championship club in the next few days, Robins is relaxed about the situation and says the club do have a plan if Thomas should move on. “I’m thankful that I don’t need to worry about that at this stage - but don’t worry, we will have contingencies, I’m sure.”

The Tigers were close to signing Thomas two-and-a-half years ago when he was playing for Huddersfield Town, but on loan at FC Nantes in France. City had agreed terms with the Terriers, but were thwarted by Nantes, who remained determined to keep the Welshman. City signed Louie Barry instead, and Thomas joined the Potters for £1.5m later that summer.