Hull City are reportedly plotting a move for former Sunderland youth and current Liverpool midfielder James McConnell as the Tigers look to utilise the loan market in the summer transfer window.
Hull used links with Premier League side Liverpool last season. The Humberside outfit signed Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho from the Reds last season, with the duo making a combined 59 appearances whilst on loan, as recorded by Whoscored.
Moreover, signing players with Premier League experience was central to the Tiger’s 2023/24 recruitment policy. Liam Delap, Anass Zaroury and Ryan Giles also joined the club on loan last season.
According to reports from Hull Daily Mail, Hull is looking to offer McConnell an opportunity to develop at Championship level for the 2024/25 campaign. The central midfielder joined Liverpool from Sunderland in July 2019 and broke into the Reds’ under-18 side aged just 16, according to the Liverpool Echo.
McConnell made his Premier League debut on November 23 in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford. He also played in the Reds 5-2 FA Cup win over Norwich and assisted Curtis Jones’ opener.
In addition, the 19-year-old played 12 matches during the 2023/24 Premier League 2 campaign and got a taste of European football, featuring in three of Liverpool’s Europa League matches, as reported by Transfermarkt.
Hull’s potential move for McConnell follows a period of change at the MKM Stadium this summer. The club’s hierarchy sacked former manager Liam Rosenior and is also aiming to sign up to 10 new players, also reported by Hull Daily Mail.
Hull narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs last season as Rosenior guided the club to a seventh-place finish. The Tigers were three points behind sixth-placed Norwich after notching 70 points.
Writer’s View
Hull will seemingly remain true to their recruitment policy of loaning in young prospects from Europe’s elite. The policy worked well last season, with Premier League loanees Carvalho, Delap and Morton contributing a combined 19 Championship goals.
However, the question is whether the new manager can get the best out of these young players as Rosenior did. The former Hull boss valued developing players and his people skills, which yielded a genuine play-off push late in the campaign. As a result, the Tigers’ next appointment will need a record of working with younger players, if the club are wholeheartedly committed to loaning youthful players for next season.
