Tigers Transfer Talk: Is Robbie Brady a Hull City target?

A weekly round-up of Hull City transfer rumours and assorted news. It's been a quiet week.

Ryan Mason of Spurs and, one-time, England.

Friday 17^th June 2016

City are in talks with Josh Tymon over a first professional contract that would tie him to the club for the long-term – or as long-term as anything in football gets these days – according to the Hull Daily Mail. Left-back Tymon made his debut as a 16-year-old last season and is being watched by some big clubs who are regulars at the club’s U21 games.

The HDM also believe that young Wimbledon goalkeeper Will Mannion will arrive this summer with the compensation due being the sticking point. It will go to tribunal if no agreement is reached.

The Daily Star claim Norwich have “slapped a price tag” of £12m on Robbie Brady. I’m still unconvinced that there is anything in any link with City and at £12m – there’s even less chance.

Lee Gregory was linked with The Tigers before promotion was secured. Today’s Daily Mail link him with Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Celtic. In fact, Celtic have been mentioned with just about every player City are said to be interested in this summer. So either both clubs are favourites of the agents who spread the rumours or we have the same scouting team.

Thursday 16^th June 2016

West London Sport claim QPR want Arsenal’s ex-Tigers loanee Isaac Hayden and that City themselves have indicated that they’d like to keep him. This presumably refers to the comments Steve Bruce made about buying Hayden back in January. They don’t say whether it’s on loan or permanent transfer that QPR are pursuing and while they suggest other clubs are also interested in the midfielder- they don’t say who they are either.

The Yorkshire Post ran an article referring to Hull City fans looking on enviously at Middlesbrough. I thought it would refer to envy over their stable ownership, manager who knows where his future lies, the recruitment they’ve already started with two signings and the fact they don’t charge children the same as adults to watch games! Alas, it was just about the fixture list for next season.

Wednesday 15^th June 2016

The Times says Robbie Brady is a target for Premier League Champions Leicester City (that still sounds weird). This comes on the day the Premier League fixture announcement handed Leicester a trip to face City at the KCOM Stadium on the opening day of next season.

City have been given a tough start which also includes Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal at home plus trips to Swansea, Burnley and Liverpool in the first seven games. A first ever top flight encounter with Bournemouth will take place on October 15^th, while 17^th December brings our first trip to the Olympic Stadium. The festive period will bring Man City and Everton to Hull on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve while the first game of our City of Culture year in 2017 will be away at WBA. Spurs at home is the final fixture.

Back to transfer news and after his quotes about Premier League interest on Tuesday, The Sun suggests Burnley and Bournemouth want Sone Aluko.

Tuesday 14^th June 2016

A report in the Hull Daily Mail suggests Abel Hernandez is wanted by Roma and Watford. There’s nothing to this story at the moment but it says plenty about the money available to Premier League clubs these days that Roma and Watford are mentioned in the same breath.

Ex-Tiger Sone Aluko told AfricanFootball.com that he’s had plenty of interest in signing him on a free transfer. Aluko said “There are interests in the Premier league, the Championship and also from abroad.”

City also announced their first pre-season fixtures. Normally the first sighting of any new signings, City will play six away games in July against lower league opposition and are expected to then play a European team away at the start of August.

Fri 15th July 19:30 - Grimsby Town (a)

Sat 16th July 15:00 - North Ferriby (a)

Tue 19th July 19:30 - Mansfield Town (a)

Sat 23rd July 15:00 - Scunthorpe United (a)

Tue 26th July 19:30 - Barnsley (a)

Sat 30th July 15:00 - Nottingham Forest (a)

Monday 13^th June 2016

The gossip column in the Yorkshire Post linked Robbie Brady with a return to Hull City – a year after he left for Norwich. I can’t find any reliable source for this one so I’m putting it down to wishful thinking.

Sunday 12^th June 2016

According to The Mirror, City are interested in signing Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason. Bournemouth and Stoke are also linked with the one-time England international who’d command a fee of at least £5m. He certainly wouldn’t be the first player to join City from White Hart Lane in the Premier League – if there is anything to this story.

Sheffield Wednesday are the latest team to be linked with Steven Fletcher after his release by Sunderland. City, Aston Villa and Celtic were said to be interested last week.

Hull City and the "reality of relegation"

According to reports - Hull City are set to sign Sam Clucas from League One Chesterfield for £1m to replace Robbie Brady who is going to Premier League Norwich City for £7m.

Losing sought after players and replacing them cheaply is the “reality of relegation”. Burnley and QPR, who were relegated along with City in May, have or are about to suffer similarly with the losses of Danny Ings, Kieran Trippier and Charlie Austin. 

(C) Goal.com

While it may be a harsh reality, it dosn't have to be terminal. Last summer relegated Norwich last Leroy Fer and Robert Snodgrass under similar circumstances. They were able to achieve promotion with their rebuilt squad (and a new manager in Alex Neil) despite those losses. Ironically the two players, sold to QPR and Hull City respectively, passed them on their way up.

That term “reality of relegation” has been used previously this summer in relation to The Tigers’ desire to get rid of high earners from the wage bill, recouping some of the massive outlay on transfer fees, and the need of both Hull City and QPR to release anyone coming to the end of a good contract.

That isn’t representative of reality though - it is the outcome of over-spending the massive TV revenue afforded you in the Premier League. Burnley are a fine example of clubs who have not suffered too greatly from relegation because they always prepared for the eventuality.

Meanwhile, The Tigers had the 8^th highest net spend in the Premier League over the past two seasons of around £50m while newly promoted QPR had the 8^thhighest wage bill in the top division in 2014/15.Both clubs are now suffering from the over-indulgence and under-achievement in their recent flirtations with the top flight.

Even so – they have chosen to tackle the problem in different ways.Hull City, much to the chagrin of most fans, have opted to wait until the big names have been sold before entering the transfer market - creating the impression of an exodus.

It has seen The Tigers' tag of bookmaker’s favourites for promotion bestowed on rivals Derby and Middlesbrough and along with rising season ticket prices and the continued name change malarkey has seen levels of anticipation drop similarly to those held by people waiting for the Hull fishing industry to make a comeback or Hull FC fans waiting for a win at Wembley.

QPR on the other hand invested the windfall they expect to receive for Charlie Austin in some promising talent like Massimo Luongo and Ben Gladwin of Swindon Town and cherry picking some of the talent available on the “Bosman” market.

The “reality of relegation” is easy to accept. Most football fans are not stupid and appreciate that their club has to cut its cloth according to its expected income.

It’s a little harder to accept inactivity, uncertainty, lack of any clear strategy and absence of communication from the club. That’s the biggest crime Hull City’s administrators have committed this summer.

The fans are more important to the club in the Championship now the riches of the Premier League are long gone. The club has to maximise it's revenue through the gate and from merchandising and marketing. Those fans deserve respect and they need hope. Especially when in the case of The Tigers’ fans they are being asked to pay more for it.

The club, sadly, has slumbered since relegation was confirmed. Now is the time for everyone to wake up and spring into action before reality bites.