Hull City backed to sign £40k-a-week star - Acun Ilicali tipped to fancy Brentford move | OneFootball

Fabio Carvalho looks set to depart Brentford either temporarily or permanently in January

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Despite enduring a rather chaotic pre-season, Hull City are proving their many skeptics wrong as the Championship campaign heads further towards the critical winter period.

Events at the MKM Stadium have been well-publicised ever since Acun Ilicali took control of the Tigers almost four years ago, with the Turkish media mogul still hopeful of eventually ending a lengthy period outside the Premier League.

Last season almost saw the club take a backwards step in that regard, as they staved off relegation to League One by virtue of goal difference, before swiftly replacing Ruben Selles with current Bosnian head coach, Sergej Jakirovic.

Despite being an unknown in English football, there was plenty of hope that the 48-year-old could help the club move forward once again after previously coming seventh in the second tier back in 2023/24 - City's highest finish since the 2016/17 season.

Such confidence was dealt a crushing blow when Hull were handed an initial three-window transfer fee restriction - a punishment which has been reduced to two windows - due to delayed payments.

As such, all of City's 12 incomings were done as free transfers or loan deals which required no extra fees. To the club's credit, the majority have been roaring successes thus far, as Jakirovic's side are placed outside the top-six on goal difference after a five-match unbeaten run.

This has made it all the more intriguing when assessing what the club does in the upcoming January window. However, it's fair to say supporter excitement went into overdrive last week when Ilicali referenced a former loan favourite at his latest Q&A session at the MKM Stadium.

Fabio Carvalho, Hull City reunion debated amid Acun Ilicali revelation

Indeed, Ilicali revealed he very much remains in contact with Brentford playmaker, Fabio Carvalho, who previously starred on loan from Liverpool in the second-half of the 2023/24 campaign under Liam Rosenior.

Despite the fact a seventh-place finish cost the now-RC Strasbourg boss his job, the Portuguese playmaker did his utmost best to earn a play-off berth for the Tigers, scoring nine times and posting two further assists in just 20 league appearances.

Such form earned the former Fulham man a move to their West London rivals from Anfield last summer, with Brentford striking a deal worth up to £27.5m.

After making just 32 appearances under Thomas Frank and Keith Andrews thus far, it has since been reported the 23-year-old is set for talks over a potential temporary or permanent exit, with the likes of Strasbourg, Lyon and Stuttgart all interested in his services.

Unsurprisingly, if City's current form was to be maintained into 2026, FLW's Tigers fan pundit, Cameron Gibson, believes a reunion would signal Ilicali and Jakirovic's intent even further.

"I attended the Q&A with Acun Ilicali last week, and Fabio Carvalho was mentioned," he told FLW.

"I think the owner would love to bring him back to the club, especially if we could get him in on loan.

"Obviously, we can't pay loan fees, so are Brentford going to want to do a favour for us and give him on loan for free and we pay his wages?

"Even then, it has to get ratified by the EFL, and his substantial wages could make it difficult this January for the club to attain Fabio Carvalho, as much as every Hull City fan would love him to come back," Gibson explained.

"I would say our attacking options are really strong," he added.

"Joe Gelhardt's playing in the '10' role right now and he's absolutely thriving, so we're not desperate for him. But, if we are in the top-half in January and we were to add Carvalho, that's a massive statement of intent.

"I think every fan would get behind it, so it could be a masterstroke from the owner if he puts all his eggs into that basket.

"If we only made one signing and it was Fabio Carvalho, I think every Hull City fan would take that. I'd love it if he came back to us.

"I remember the second-half of the season he had under Rosenior. What a talent," our fan pundit claimed. "The goal at Southampton, some absolutely amazing home performances and he really seemed to enjoy being here.

"He got on really well with the fans, he used to grab the badge when celebrating and he clearly enjoyed it here. I definitely wouldn't say no to him coming back."

Fabio Carvalho loan reunion would be an extremely ambitious move by Hull City

It was a remarkable transfer coup back in January 2024 when Carvalho joined a star-studded Hull side on the edge of the top six under Rosenior, meaning the ambition of pulling off a reunion would have to only increase, given the differing financial climate the Tigers currently find themselves in.

Of course, there are plenty of high-profile names still at the club, including some who were signed in the summer on a free or on loan, such as Oli McBurnie, whose impact has been tremendous despite a recent injury.

Ilicali's recent revelation, unsurprisingly, led to mass debate over Carvalho's return, and even though it would be in differing circumstances under a new head coach, it cannot be entirely ruled out, particularly as the aforementioned Gelhardt returned on a temporary basis from Leeds United after Jakirovic replaced Selles in June, with the Spaniard initially responsible for bringing the Liverpudlian to East Yorkshire.

At present, Carvalho is said to be earning an ESTIMATED wage of £40,000 per week, which is a rather high figure for many Championship clubs, especially if they were to be paying the majority of said wage.

However, as our fan pundit alluded to, all associated with the club are aware of the qualities he would bring to the table, and supporters certainly wouldn't turn their noses up at a reunion.