League One side Oxford United are interested in signing Hull City winger Ryan Longman, reports the Hull Daily Mail.
The 22-year-old has been subject to interest from home and abroad, with Turkish Süper Lig club Fatih Karigumruk holding talks with the player.
However, the Redhill-born midfielder has opted to seek a transfer to another English club, with the U’s interest seemingly now confirmed.
Permission has been granted for Longman’s exit from the MKM Stadium, as manager Liam Rosenior cannot guarantee enough game time.
The Brighton & Hove Albion youth product is yet to appear in the Championship this season, despite appearing 37 times in the league for the Tigers the previous term.
He initially joined from the Seagulls in a season-long loan move before making his stay in the East Riding of Yorkshire permanent in January 2022, and has now turned out 73 times for the second-tier outfit, registering seven goals and five assists in the process.
Oxford are in the market for a wide man after it was confirmed winger Marcus Browne would be out “for a few months” and there is uncertainty over the future of Josh Murphy, who has largely struggled to make an impact at the Kassam Stadium since his move from Cardiff City in 2022.
Plenty of business has been done between the two parties in recent times, with Oxford taking Brandon Fleming and Tyler Smith on loan in the second half of last season.
Longman is contracted to Hull until 2025, and with the club previously accepting the loan move abroad, it would appear they’re not keen to see him leave on a permanent basis just yet.
What’s been said?
Rosenior has admitted the chance for the 22-year-old to play regular football is the reason he has sanctioned a departure this summer.
The 39-year-old manager said: “He’s someone that I massively respect and the decision that he makes, I’ve got complete respect for.
“He’s still really young and he’s still got a lot of potential to develop his game. For Ryan, what I want to do at this point his career is give him the option to play as many games as possible, like I do with all the players.
“I was really honest with Ryan at the end of last season. I’ve known Longy since the age of 15 or 16 when he was at Brighton so I’ve got a really good relationship with him.
“I said to him that I can’t guarantee that he’s going to be in my team week in and week out. He wants to stay and fight which I love, but if a team comes in and says ‘you’re more likely to play here’ then it’s best for his career as well.”
Writer’s View
It is commendable that Longman wants to stay and fight for his place at his parent club, and therefore any interested potential party would have to provide the guarantee of regular game time.
Oxford United may be in the best position to provide that assurance as they are short of numbers in that area, and a loan move would provide sensible cover and a cheaper alternative until Browne returns to full fitness.
