Hull City have assembled an excellent squad, capable of pushing for promotion back to the Premier League but may be forced to sell one or two bodies in the summer should the club fail to reach the promised land.
Despite picking up three consecutive draws in the Championship, the Tigers have managed to hold onto the final playoff spot, sitting two points above seventh-place Norwich City, although Liam Rosenior’s side still have to face Leicester City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday while the Canaries are at home to bottom-of-the-table Rotherham United.
Having finished 15th last season, comfortably above the relegation zone, not many people would have expected Hull to be battling for the top six this season but this is a testament of how good a job Rosenior has done so far in Yorkshire.
The former Derby County interim boss managed to make some important improvements to his first-team squad as the season dragged on, signing the likes of star attacker Jaden Philogene from Premier League side Aston Villa while also acquiring Fabio Carvalho and Abdulkadir Omur in January, the former coming on in loan.
However, one unsung hero for the side this season has been centre-back Jacob Greaves. The 23-year-old has made 35 appearances in all competitions this season under Rosenior and recently captained the team against Huddersfield Town away from home, scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time to seal all three points for the Tigers.
Speaking in an interview with Football League World, Sheffield Wednesday legend and EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has admitted that he expects Greaves to leave the club, especially if Hull fail to earn promotion by the end of the campaign.
“He’s under contract until the summer of 2026, so it will take a substantial offer for Hull to let him go.
“But the problem that they’ve got is that if Hull don’t get promoted to the Premier League, and they’re not going to do that automatically, they’ve got a chance of being in the play-offs, then the player will want to go and play at a higher level.”
💫 Jacob Greaves scored his first City goal in last season's 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 win at Rotherham! 🥅💥
𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙏𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨+ 📽️🎞️#hcafc
— Hull City (@HullCity) February 13, 2024
Palmer also stated that Hull City could set an asking price of between £15-20 million to let him leave with two years remaining on his current deal.
You would think that the offer would have to be in the region of £15m-£20m for Hull to do business, but this player is destined to play at the highest level. He’s very, very athletic, very good on the ball, very comfortable and can play at the highest level.
“Unfortunately, if Hull don’t get promotion, I think he will be playing in the Premier League next season, whether it’s for Everton or somebody else.”
Writer’s View
Greaves is a fantastic player and has been vital for Hull City for several seasons now. Palmer certainly has a point that the academy product has what it takes to reach the very top and eventually play in the Premier League in the near future.
There will undoubtedly be interest in his signature this summer even if the Tigers fail to return to the top tier of English football, just like there are already several suitors lining up to sign Philogene by the end of the season.
Deputy Head of Writing
