Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has taken the unusual step of publicly addressing what he calls “false transfer rumors” after being “disturbed” by claims the Championship play-off winners have been rejected by potential signings. In a social media post, the Turkish businessman wrote: “We are disturbed by the claims that we have been rejected and by the use of our club’s name to gain attention.”
The Tigers are preparing for their return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, having secured promotion by winning the Championship play-off final in May. So far, they have signed goalkeeper Jack Butland from Rangers, midfielder Oscar Zambrano from Maribor, and defender Matt Targett following his exit from Newcastle United. Ilicali, who did not specify which reports he was referring to, listed those three players numerically with ticks next to their names.
“Hull City owner Acun Ilicali says he is 'disturbed' by false transfer rejection claims as club prepares for Premier League.”
He then extended the list from four to 11, pairing each number with a country’s flag and a percentage indicating how close the club was to signing a player from that nation. At number four, the Japan flag carried 99% — a figure that BBC Radio Humberside sports editor Mike White reports corresponds to a deal for free agent midfielder Hidemasa Morita. Flags of Greece and Sweden were at 90%, while Australia, Croatia and Portugal each stood at 80%.
Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic earlier this month said the Tigers were close to completing a deal for Olympiakos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Ilicali, who said the club had taken out a £55m bridging loan to strengthen its financial position, ended his message: “I believe we will build a team that we will all be proud of.”