Hull City could repeat Fabio Carvalho transfer trick amid squad size dilemma
Hull City have just come out of a manic summer transfer window, which saw the club involved in a flurry of deals both in and out of the MKM Stadium, as new boss Tim Walter and the club’s hierarchy shaped the German’s squad.
More than 20 players left the club after City just missed out on a place in the Championship’s top six last term, while 15 came in during the summer window, and then two more on free transfers after it closed at the end of August.
Undoubtedly, City will want to be active when the winter window opens on January 1 to help Walter even further. But as it stands, that will not be possible without some remedial work.
The Tigers have maxed out their squad of 25 players following the late additions of Steven Alzate and Joao Pedro, so in order for City to make new additions, players would need to be moved on.
As it stands, the overall squad list stands at 32 players (inclusive of Under-21s), though Harry Vaughan has been playing in the Under-21s and also includes all five goalkeepers
Arguably, Walter’s squad should not need too much work in January given the sheer amount of new players the club signed, but should a big opportunity become available then some shifting around would be required. Last term, Fabio Carvalho was the stand-out signing made by any club in the Championship, and a similar deal may well tempt owner Acun Ilicali into business.
While January may seem a long way off just now, planning behind the scenes is already well underway with club bosses acutely aware of the need to move out before moves in can be made. But there will be some big decisions ahead over the futures of those perhaps not playing as regularly as they would like.
Under league rules, clubs in the second tier must name a 25-man squad, with eight of those being homegrown. Clubs can have as many Under-21s on contracts as they like but they must be registered in your squad. Loanees count towards the overall 25, even if they’re under the age of 21, as is the case with 20-year-old Oscar Zambrano.
Liam Millar, Marvin Mehlem, Abdus Omur, Harry Vaughan, Xavier Simons, Steven Alzare, Gustavo Puerta, Oscar Zambrano, Regan Slater, Kasey Palmer
Attackers
Chris Bedia, Dogukan Sinik, Joao Pedro, Ryan Longman, Mohamed Belloumi, Will Jarvis, Abu Kamara, Mason Burstow.
