Hull City Eyeing Move For Former Championship Star

Hull City are looking into a shock move for veteran keeper Vito Mannone after a goalkeeper crisis has been sparked ahead of the upcoming season.

The Tigers finished in seventh last season in the Championship as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs. The club would ultimately sack Liam Rosenior and replace him with Tim Walter. Alongside a fresh head coach, new players will be needed to cater to his system.

Last season, Ryan Allsop was the first-choice keeper for Rosenior as he featured 37 times and earned 10 clean sheets for the season. Allsop was also important in allowing Hull City to play their style of football as suggested by him being in the top 1% for touches from Keepers at 55.69 per 90.

However, the 32-year-old would leave for Birmingham City at the end of the season, leaving the Tigers without their first choice. To add to the blow, second-choice keeper Matt Ingram joined newly promoted Oxford United after he appeared 10 times last season.

As a result, the East Yorkshire outfit has been left with three goalkeepers who are yet to play a minute in the Championship. Both Thimothée Lo-Tutala and Harvey Cartwright, were on loan at Doncaster Rovers and Grimsby Town last season respectively. In addition, Croatian keeper Ivor Pandur is also an option but hasn’t played in English football yet.

Therefore, with no experienced goalkeepers or a definitive first choice, Hull have had to look to the transfer market. It has been reported that Walter’s side are eyeing a move for former Sunderland star Vito Mannone. Journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that Mannone is a target for the club after a spell in France and could return to the MKM Stadium after a 12-year absence. The Italian had two loan spells with City during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns when the club were in the Championship.

Since then he has played for Sunderland and Reading before recent stints with French sides Monaco, FC Lorient and LOSC Lille. Despite these big moves, he has never become a consistent mainstay for a club as suggested by him making less than 300 appearances in his lengthy career. In more recent years, he has played just 37 games in his last four seasons, therefore suggesting that he may need time to come up to speed before starting week-in-week-out in the second tier.

Incredible save from Vito Mannone 👏#UECL pic.twitter.com/S37I1TGaXh

— UEFA Conference League (@europacnfleague) June 21, 2024

Writer’s View

Overall, this would be a great signing for Hull City. They clearly need a veteran keeper with experience in the Championship for the younger options to learn from. In addition, Mannone is still 36 and can play regularly enough for the Tigers to rely on him instead of their more youthful keepers.

Nevertheless, Mannone is contracted to Lille until the summer of 2025. Therefore, the deal could be slowed down by agreeing on a fee or wages. With the season quickly approaching, Hull needs to do quick business to have a secure number one for their opening-day clash against Bristol City.