Brandon Williams features: 2 free agents Hull City should still be looking to sign | OneFootball

FLW identifies two more additions Hull City could make in the free agent market

Despite the summer transfer window slamming shut last Friday, Championship clubs still have the opportunity to add further strength-in-depth.

Hull City's summer has been one of vast change on the pitch and in the dugout, with Tim Walter already moulding the Tigers' squad into one he can call his own, despite losing the services of some of City's key perfomers from last season throughout.

The East Yorkshire outfit have proved to be stern competitors in the opening four matches of the Championship campaign, but problem areas have also shown their face in the aforementioned quartet, as Walter's side have only scored on two occasions and remain in search of their first competitive win under the German's management.

15 new additions were made prior to the 11PM deadline on August 30th, but with some areas of the City squad still short on numbers and quality, FLW looks at two more potential acquisitions that could be made through the pool of current free agents.

M'Baye Niang

Having lost such a high volume of their 68 goals from last season, there is real concern that even with the additions of Mason Burstow from Chelsea and Chris Bedia on loan from Union Berlin, City are still lacking significant depth and quality when it comes to the centre-forward department.

Oscar Estupinan netted one of the Tigers' two goals this season from the penalty spot against Bristol City, but was then sold for a seven-figure profit to Mexican side FC Juarez, and after missing out on the Chelsea duo of Deivid Washington and David Datro Fofana, Hull could do worse than explore the possibility of signing M'Baye Niang on a free transfer.

The Senegalese forward's career has been eventful so far, and at the age of 28, Niang most recently donned the colours of Serie A outfit Empoli, where his six goals in 14 games - including a 93rd minute winner against Roma on the final day - preserved 'Azzurri Empolesi's' top-flight status.

However, six months after signing permanently from Turkish side Adana Demispor, where he also found the net eight times in 16 Süper Lig appearances, it was announced that Niang would leave Empoli at the end of the season, and he is still on the lookout for fresh employers.

Niang enjoyed a brief stint with Watford in the second half of the 2016/17 Premier League season. However, the former AC Milan prodigy endured an indifferent spell in Hertfordshire with just two goals in 16 appearances, adding a small tally to his overall career total of 96 goals in 399 appearances.

But, a previous connection to Adana Demispor could have seen him appear on Hull's radar through the club's Turkish connections, and at the age of 28, it would do the 15-time international the world of good to find a settled environment, having failed to do so since leaving Rennes in 2021, where he enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career to-date.

Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams also remains without a club at this moment in time, but would provide more-than adequate competition for current full-backs at the MKM, particularly current starting left-back Ryan Giles.

Williams was a key cog in Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town side which started last season's campaign like a house on fire, making 15 appearances for the Tractor Boys in the second tier, before returning to then-parent club Manchester United in January after a number of injury and illness-related issues, prior to his eventual Old Trafford release in June.

There has been discussion among the City fanbase that fellow left-back Matty Jacob, who impressed on occasions last season following his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in January, is in need of a loan move to enhance his own development, paving the way for someone of the former Red Devils man's calibre to take his place.

After his contribution in Town's promotion-winning campaign - which included goals against Huddersfield Town and Preston North End - was curtailed, the 23-year-old will feel he has a point to prove at this level, and filling a void with his quality and potential at this level would be a low-risk addition on a free transfer.

Of course, with Williams being on the sidelines for a lengthy period last term, some supporters may have their reservations, but the former Norwich City man has a lot of time on his side to emulate Giles' previous creative threat at this level, as well as building on metrics such as 1.9 tackles, 4.5 recoveries and the winning of 4.7 duels on average from his time at Portman Road.