- Hull City has positioned themselves well for a shot at the play-offs through their January transfer window signings.
- Several key players, including Aaron Connolly and Adama Traore, are in uncertain contract situations and will look to impress in the final months of the season.
- Midfielder Greg Docherty has drawn interest from other clubs, but Hull City is keen on retaining his services.
Hull City are well and truly in the thick of the upcoming battle for fifth and sixth spot in the play-offs as we enter the final months of this 2023/24 Championship campaign.
Many believe that Liam Rosenior and chairman Acun Ilicali have given the Tigers the best possible chance of reaching the post-season frenzy for the first time since winning the final back in 2016 based off their business in the January transfer window, which included a plethora of high-quality loan signings
Whilst the final three months of the regular campaign hold significance on that front, it’s also a massive opportunity for those out-of-contract in June to earn new deals or put themselves in the shop window.
There are currently seven players in such a scenario at the MKM Stadium, so let’s take a closer look at their respective situations.
Connolly is the first of those with an uncertain future in East Yorkshire, which is somewhat surprising given his overall performances when fit so far this campaign.
After an initial loan spell last season that was abruptly halted through long-term unavailability, a one-year permanent deal made sense back in the summer, but the Irishman has put himself in the conversation for fresh terms.
Although he sustained another injury in the 2-1 defeat to Norwich City on January 12th, Connolly has eight goals from 24 overall Championship appearances – by far the most productive season of his senior career.
Traore’s spell at the club has been mixed, with the Malian showing the occasional flash of brilliance to prove why he was once on the books of Lille and Monaco.
After signing on a free transfer in the Tigers’ hectic transfer window in the summer of 2022, the attacking midfielder had to wait until February 2022 for his first appearance before netting his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Millwall weeks later.
So far this campaign, Traore has started in 14 of the 20 Championship games which he’s featured in, but only one of those starts came from mid-November onwards before he joined his nation at the African Cup of Nations, where he would miss a penalty in Mali’s quarter-final defeat to the Ivory Coast.
