Hull City are a team with a turbulent history, both in the Football League and in the Premier League. Back in 2000 they were locked out of their own ground, the now abandoned Boothferry Park, and were the odds-on favourites to take the dreaded plunge into non-league obscurity. It was only a miraculous recovery led by legendary player-turned-manager Warren Joyce that enabled the club to maintain their EFL status, deliver for the loyal fans who back them with online betting offers to make the great escape, and lay the foundations for the club to build upon in the future. Sure enough, having defied online betting tipsters and media pundits who had written them off, Adam Pearson moved from Leeds Utd to Hull and brought about one of the most incredible transformations an English club has ever seen, with the team eventually reaching the Premier League in a matter of just five seasons.
It is there that the story regarding the club’s new ownership begins, because in 2010 Assem Allam took over, pumping investment in that saw the team reach the Premier League in 2013. However, rather than being adored by Hull fans for this feat, Allam made enemies with supporter groups, choosing to try and change the name of the team so the club would be more marketable abroad. So began one of the most protracted standoffs between a club’s owner and its fans, one that only this season was brought to a close by the Allams finally finding a buyer for their Championship club.
Buyout Finalised in January
In the summer of 2021, Acun Ilıcalı made his first trip to the city that sits on the north bank of the Humber estuary. While this sleeping giant of a northern city has not always been to everyone’s liking, the Turkish entrepreneur was immediately smitten; he was blown away by the friendly welcome he received, and the atmosphere fans created at the MKM Stadium.
A deal was essentially put in place at that time, giving Ilıcalı time to find a manager he would be comfortable working with, as well as laying the other groundwork that was needed to announce himself as the EFL’s latest foreign, big-money owner.
Shota Arveladze Is Lined Up
No one can say that Ilıcalı didn’t make an impact upon taking over the club, with the new owner immediately dispensing of manager Grant McCann, despite the youngster having just picked up two impressive back-to-back wins in the league.
His replacement has been former Georgian national team and Rangers star Shota Arveladze, who is said to have agreed in principle to manage Hull City months before the takeover was formally announced in January 2022. Having managed as far afield as Uzbekistan and Israel, Arveladze will not have been overawed heading to Hull, but the jury is still out as to whether he is the right man to lead the team. The move has garnered mixed results so far. He will no doubt be judged on how well he is able to recruit in the summer.
Thanks to Acun Ilıcalı’s audacious takeover, Hull have gained a whole horde of new Turkish fans, who know Ilıcalı from his days of working in the Turkish media and entertainment industries
What the Future Holds
When asked if he can guarantee Tigers fans Premier League football in the near future, the new owner wisely chose to downplay expectations, knowing how tough it can be to reach the top tier in English football. However, what he did promise is that he would be a highly visible and hands-on owner, an approach that will delight Hull fans, who had grown weary of the corporate style of leadership displayed by the Allams. One of his first tests will be to keep hold of young striker Keane Lewis-Potter, who is garnering interest from the likes of Spurs and Brentford, or the club may choose to cash in on the striker and use the funds to strengthen other areas of the squad.
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