According to Football Insider, Hull City ware chasing the signature of a record-breaking 19-year-old.
The Tigers have had a challenging start to the season, drawing both of their matches. Their 1-1 stalemate with Plymouth was tepid, following on from a tame game against Bristol City that ended the same way.
Tim Walter’s side are being linked with plenty of business, with Faride Alidou from Frankfurt and Gustavo Puerta of Leverkusen both being spoken about as targets. They are also being linked with a young striker from much further afield – Brisbane Roar bagsman Thomas Waddingham.
The 19-year-old is a record-breaker Down Under, having burst onto the scene last season by scoring four goals in the Australia Cup. In doing so, he became the youngest goalscorer in the finals of the competition aged 18 years and 186 days.
This season, he’s been impressing once again, netting seven in 18 A-League matches, finishing a single goal shy of Nestory Irankunda, who himself set a record as the highest-scoring teenager in a single A-League season. The Socceroos have also noticed Waddingham’s ability, and he’s been capped by their Under 23 team as his reputation continues to grow.
It’s now reported that the player, who can operate out wide as well as a central striker, is on the radar of a number of top clubs. He once trialled with Blackpool, but failed to secure a deal in the north west and returned to Australia to continue his education.
Their pursuit is not going to be straightforward. The Football Insider report suggests Championship side Stoke City are also after the young player, and back in April, it was reported that Spurs were monitoring the situation. As well as the Premier League outfit, Bayern Munich and Udinese were believed to have looked at the striker.
Writer’s View
Spurs could have the edge here – remember, their boss Ange Postecoglou coached the Roar with great success and that could give him the advantage, should he decide to swoop.
If it is a straight battle between Hull and Stoke, the outcome will be interesting. There’s a huge gulf in quality between the Championship and the A-League, and it has to be asked whether Waddingham would be ready for second-tier action straight away. If not, which of those clubs are best place to manage his development? Which are likely to have a comfortable buffer between themselves and the bottom three, sufficient to ease him into action without the burden of expectation?
Hull have ambitious transfer plans and were on the cusp of the top six last season, so there’s no reason why they wouldn’t be front-runners. They were also pivotal in the development of Jaden Philogene, another indication that Waddingham would choose the Tigers, if indeed they decide to pounce.
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