Hull City are set to part ways with head coach Ruben Selles following a disappointing Championship campaign.
The Spaniard is expected to leave just five months after taking charge, with owner Acun Ilicali preparing to reshape the club’s backroom staff ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Selles Exit Marks Third Managerial Departure In 12 Months
Appointed in December 2024 when Hull City were rooted to the foot of the Championship table, Selles managed to secure survival by the narrowest of margins—on goal difference—after a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on the final day.
However, despite avoiding relegation, it appears the performance under Selles has not been enough to convince Ilicali to continue with the former Reading boss. The decision was reportedly reached after a high-level meeting in Istanbul involving Ilicali, director Tan Kesler, and new head of recruitment Martin Hodge.
It brings to an end a chaotic 12-month period in which Hull have now parted ways with three managers—Liam Rosenior, Tim Walter, and now Selles.
City recorded just nine wins from 26 league games under Selles, and the end-of-season review has prompted sweeping changes. First team coach Tobias Loveland and joint-assistant manager James Oliver-Pearce—both appointed alongside Selles—are also expected to depart. Only Andy Dawson and goalkeeping coach Erbil Bozkurt are set to remain on staff.
Ilicali, who has repeatedly voiced his ambitions of pushing Hull City into the play-off picture, is now hunting for a fifth permanent manager of his ownership. The Turkish businessman is said to be drawing from a list of previously shortlisted candidates, including names discussed before Walter’s brief tenure.
No immediate appointment expected
While no immediate appointment is expected, the club is keen to move quickly with pre-season planning already underway and significant decisions looming over transfers and recruitment.
Selles’ brief spell in charge follows a longer-term trend of managerial instability at Hull, something the club will need to address if they are to progress from narrowly avoiding relegation to challenging at the opposite end of the table.
Writer’s View
Ruben Selles’ departure feels ridiculous, even given the underwhelming results and persistent off-field uncertainty at Hull City. While survival may count as success on paper, it fell far short of expectations set by Acun Ilicali, particularly after the optimism surrounding last season’s play-off push under Rosenior.
The chopping and changing of managers has become a recurring theme at the MKM Stadium, and if the club are to build any kind of long-term stability, they should stick with Selles, who performed miracles at Reading. Otherwise, they risk repeating the same cycle of short-lived tenures and stagnation.
