Hull City’s Premier League promotion was a fairytale. Staying up would be bigger. | OneFootball

When Oli McBurnie stabbed home the winner in the dying moments of the Championship play-off final in May it represented one hell of a turnaround for Hull City.

Having fought off relegation to League 1 on the final day of the previous season, and facing a transfer embargo, last season’s team was made up of free agent signings, loans, and shrewd contract negotiations.

Few thought anything else other than another backs-to-the-wall relegation fight was on the cards. No-one would have predicted what happened next.

A strong season

Despite having a smaller squad than most in the championship, Hull achieved something extraordinary, in no small part to manager Sergej Jakirović and owner Acun Ilicali.

Using the age-old “us against the world” team talk, Jakirović fashioned a team full of heart and desire, and no small footballing ability. They were happy without the ball and made life difficult for opponents. Fast on the transition, with McBurnie up top they had a striker capable of finishing the chances created, with 19 goals across all competitions. How he never went to the World Cup with Scotland remains a mystery.

The soccer wasn’t always good. It wasn’t always pretty. But it was effective and they proved adept at sneaking tight games and turning a seeming-one-pointer into three. Hull spent much of the season, against the odds, in the upper part of the Championship table, averaging 7th across the entire 46 games.

They were 6th and in a playoff position heading into the final game, but for half of that looked to have been beaten by Derby County to the punch. But Derby collapsed in the second half of their game and Hull came from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 and secure their spot. It kind of summed up their season. They found a way.

Play off drama

Having beaten Millwall in an attritional two legs in the play off semi finals, they were due to face Southampton in the final, before the Saints were kicked out of the plays offs over the Spygate scandal.

They were caught spying on their semi-final opponents Middlebrough during a training session on Teeside, with an analyst hiding next to a tree with an iphone and microphone.

The Tigers instead faced Southampton’s vanquished semi-final opponents Middlesbrough. In a dire 90 minutes, in which Hull did what Hull do and Middlesbrough (with only a few days’ preparation) looked out of sorts, McBurnie mercifully spared the crowd from extra time with a 95th minute winner.

Somehow, Hull City were promoted.

So, what now?

Even with the transfer embargo lifted, it’s hard to see Jakirović moving far away from his pragmatic, low block then transition style, but they at least have money to spend.

Looking at some of their better players from last season, a few should be capable of making the step up. Regan Slater in midfield caught the eye with his tireless running, and cleaned up at the end of season awards, while Charlie Hughes became one of the Championship’s best ball-playing centre halves.

Ryan Giles led the team’s assists from left back with eight, and provided a good attacking outlet down that side.

New signings

Hull have been moving fast in the market, as they have to if they are to avoid beating Derby County’s 11 point lowest Premier League tally record.

Greece international goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis is Hull’s marquee signing, arriving for a fee exceeding $23 million.

Another keeper Jack Butland has arrived from Rangers for $4.7 million, and will add valuable Premier League know how, having previously played 167 times there for Crystal Palace and Stoke City.

Elsewhere Norwegian midfielder Jens Hjertø-Dahl has cost $13.5 million from Tromsø, and Elliot Stroud, who plays either left back or wing back, $4.7 million from Mjällby.

Another experienced defender, Matt Targett, joined from Newcastle United on a free, where he has struggled to get any decent game time in recent seasons.

31-year-old Japanese international midfielder Hidemasa Morita joined on a free contract for two years having enjoyed a successful spell Sporting CP in Portugal, where he made 166 appearances and won back-to-back Primeira Liga titles. He is currently getting fit after injury and is not expected to play in Hull’s opening game or two.

Midfielder Óscar Zambrano has signed for his second stint at the club but is expected to go out on loan, while Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey is close to signing. Swansea have turned down an offer from the Tigers for last season’s top scorer in the Championship, Jan Vipotnik.

Prospects for the season

As discussed in the latest edition of the Hooligan network podcast We Called it Soccer First, staying up must be their only concerns yet they are strong, strong favorites to finish bottom of the league. And for good reason.

The gulf in quality between the Championship and Premier League is huge and they are having to bed in an almost entirely new team.

Put it like this, teams have spent over $200 million recently having been promoted and still gone back down. Hull have so far spent a fraction of that.

If they’ve anything in their favor, it’s the fact that they play without the ball. It has worked for teams like Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, but the key is to have the speed, quality and goal threat on the transition otherwise it’s impossible to keep the ball or score enough goals.

It looks grim but survival is doable. Highly unlikely though.

More Premier League 2026/27 Previews

Manchester UnitedNewcastle United