Cody Drameh update emerges as Charlton Athletic, Stoke City and Millwall eye Hull City man | OneFootball

The Tigers are set to move the right-back on in the coming weeks

Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic discussed the immediate future of full-back Cody Drameh after the Tigers' 1-0 defeat to Stoke City on New Year's Day, with the Potters one of four Championship sides interested in acquiring the defender's services.

The Bosnian saw his side's five-game unbeaten run quashed by the Staffordshire outfit on Thursday afternoon when Robert Bozenik pounced on a defensive mistake from the East Yorkshire side six minutes before half-time in a rather stop-start encounter at the MKM Stadium.

Jakirovic's options on matchday have been extremely limited of late, with injuries certainly beginning to take their toll on his squad over the relentless fixture list over the Christmas and New Year period.

Full-back Ryan Giles was one of those sidelined for the first clash of 2026 after he sustained a hamstring issue in the 1-0 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls, Middlesbrough, earlier in the week, whilst Drameh is at the opposite end of the spectrum, as he nears a return after suffering a lower back issue which has kept him out of action since a 12-minute substitute cameo in the 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in HU3 on November 25th.

The 24-year-old's future with the Tigers has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks and months, having been linked with a potential exit last summer whilst Acun Ilicali eventually moved to replace former City boss, Ruben Selles, with Jakirovic on a two-year contract in June.

City have had to be extremely meticulous in the transfer market, having been hit with a two-window transfer fee restriction, meaning that only free transfers or loan deals without any additional fees can be agreed.

At present, the club are in a position where players must depart the MKM before the 49-year-old can attempt to bolster his squad. As such, he provided an honest update on Drameh's predicament ahead of a crucial home clash with Watford on Sunday afternoon.

As previously mentioned, the former Fulham and Leeds United defender was the subject of exit talk in the summer transfer window when the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and Derby County became linked with his signature, before shock talk of a potential Premier League return with FA Cup holders, Crystal Palace, emerged in the opening weeks of the season.

Drameh has made just 42 appearances for Hull since signing a three-year contract after departing Leeds in July 2024, in what was Tim Walter's only transfer window in charge at the MKM Stadium before being sacked after just five months in charge.

So far this term, the London-born full-back has made 12 appearances, nine of which have come from the starting lineup. However, the last of those starts came against Derby in a 2-1 defeat at Pride Park on November 4th, in a game where he was deployed in an advanced position in front of his right-back competitor and Tigers captain, Lewie Coyle.

It emerged in the lead up to the now-open winter window that Preston, alongside Stoke, Millwall and Charlton Athletic, are all interested in signing the defender who has 18 months left on his aforementioned contract, and is reportedly unhappy at the Yorkshire club due to a lack of gametime.

Jakirovic then backed up his previous point that an exit may be in the offing, and that he will speak to Drameh about the situation between now and Sunday's game against the Hornets.

"Sometimes I'm unhappy as well, but I'm still here," he told Hull Live. "What does it mean I'm unhappy? We're professionals, of course, but if you are not ready in your head, I spoke with him two times, and I explained to him everything.

"I was a professional player. You are under the contract for another 18 months, OK? If you want to go, OK. Someone must buy you. I can speak openly, so this is true. When I need you, you must be there because you are a player, so we will see now.

"He had low back injury problems, and he missed three or four games. Yesterday he did full training with the group, which is good. We will see in the next two days what his plan is.

When asked about his availability for the weekend, Jakirovic stated: "He's been telling me that 'I have pain', but yesterday he trained, so this is good, and I'm counting on him, of course, I'm counting on every player. Yes (he could come back for Watford). Cody's ready."

Hull City could face full-back conundrum amid Cody Drameh exit talk

The aforementioned exit talk could provide City with a critical conundrum.

As previously mentioned, their defensive options are currently limited, with Matty Jacob having to be recalled from his loan spell at Reading to cover for the aforementioned Giles' injury, whilst James Furlong was allowed into the matchday squad against Stoke due to a severe lack of resource.

The Tigers, of course, did sign former Manchester United academy graduate, Brandon Williams, in July, with the 25-year-old capable of featuring on either side of defence.

However, six months later, his time at the MKM also looks up amid reports that his contract is set to be cancelled after fitness issues, which have resulted in just five minutes of Championship action thus far.

Therefore, whilst Drameh is clearly unhappy with his own situation, Jakirovic's current stance is also clear and understandable as City look to keep up with the pace at the top end of the table.