Hull City are set to complete the permanent signing of Chelsea striker Mason Burstow, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
Premier League giants Chelsea acquired the then-18-year-old Burstow from Charlton Athletic for a reported sum of £1.80 million in January 2022. He then spent the rest of the 2021/22 back on loan at The Valley.
Burstow spent last season on loan at fellow Championship side Sunderland, after joining on deadline day. However, he failed to impress in the North East, only managing one goal and one assist in 20 appearances with the Black Cats.
Burstow was not included in Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the USA and with further signings coming in through the door at Stamford Bridge, on top of the huge squad the Blues have, new manager Enzo Maresca has made it clear the 21-year-old isn’t in his plans. The London-born striker now looks set to join Hull permanently, with the Tigers looking to add strength in depth in attack.
Loanees Liam Delap, Fabio Carvalho and Tyler Morton have all left the club, and so have the likes of Jaden Philogene, alongside Ozan Tufan and Aaron Connolly. Both Delap and Carvalho proved crucial in Hull’s promotion push. Delap chipped in with eight goals and two assists despite an injury-riddled season and Carvalho netted nine goals and provided two assists in just half a season in the Championship. Both players have now moved on, with Delap joining newly promoted Ipswich Town, and Portuguese talent Carvalho joining Brentford. On top of that, Tyler Morton has returned to Liverpool, Jaden Philogene has re-joined Aston Villa, Ozan Tufan has returned to Turkey and Aaron Connolly was let go following the disappointment of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Tigers desperately need new recruits if they want to again challenge for promotion. It is no secret that Turkish owner Acun Ilicali has ambitions of getting his club back up to the Premier League, and this was seen in the financial backing he gave Liam Rosenior last season. However, German manager Tim Walter has a tricky task with the amount of squad turnover, with key players such as Jacob Greaves and the aforementioned Philogene both leaving the MKM Stadium for pastures new.
Similar to Hull, Sunderland are looking at bringing in a striker themselves, with winger Jack Clarke ending up as top scorer with 15 goals in the Championship. Under new manager Regis Le Bris, it seems as though the Black Cats are playing the waiting game in regards to bringing in a new striker.
Writer’s View
This season feels make or break for Hull City. Previously seen with the sacking of Rosenior, owner Ilicali is cut-throat when it comes to what he wants. Hull narrowly missed out on playoffs last season, in an antagonising fashion by just three points. Now under Walter, can the Tigers push on or will it be another season of so close yet so far.
Bringing in Burstow may prove to be one huge risk. After not impressing on Wearside with just two goal contributions all season, the young striker needs to prove himself at Championship level. Although still just 21, many will feel relying on him for goals may not be the way forward, and if Hull want immediate success, Burstow may not prove to be a short-term solution, but instead a long-term investment.
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