"Next Jacob Greaves" - Exciting Hull City comparison made after Wigan Athletic deal | OneFootball

"Next Jacob Greaves" - Exciting Hull City comparison made after Wigan Athletic deal | OneFootball

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·8 September 2024

"Next Jacob Greaves" - Exciting Hull City comparison made after Wigan Athletic deal

Article image:"Next Jacob Greaves" - Exciting Hull City comparison made after Wigan Athletic deal

The young defender was brought in this summer after impressing for the Latics in League One

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…


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Hull City lost two of their key players over the summer, with Jacob Greaves making the move to Premier League new boys Ipswich Town, while Jaden Philogene returned to former club Aston Villa.

Although they were expected, the two departures will have hit City hard, with new boss Tim Walter needing to get recruitment right after taking the job at the MKM Stadium, as he looked to hit the ground running in his first job in English football.

While the Tigers are yet to register their first win under their new boss, there has been plenty of promise from some of the summer recruits, with the Humberside outfit drawing three of their first four matches.

In terms of who has impressed the most this season, we spoke to Football League World’s Hull City fan pundit Ant Northgraves about his thoughts in the new signings, and who has the brightest future ahead of them.

Hull City add Charlie Hughes as Jacob Greaves replacement

The loss of Greaves would have been a hard one to take for Hull City fans this summer, with the academy graduate living out most supporters’ dreams in playing for the club he supported as a boy.

With the bags of talent at his disposal, it was only a matter of time before the young defender made the move to the Premier League, and after City missed out on the play-offs last season, Ipswich Town swooped to make him theirs before too long.

Hull have since delved into the transfer market themselves to bring Charlie Hughes to the club, with the 20-year-old defender winning plenty of plaudits for his performances for Wigan Athletic during the previous campaign.

Having featured 64 times for the Latics in the league at such a tender age, Hughes has bagfuls of potential, with his ability to play the ball out from the back akin to that of the departing Greaves, while his defensive abilities have never been in question.

With a youth career that has taken in both Manchester City and Liverpool, the 20-year-old comes from hight stock, which has led to multiple England under-20 call-ups, as well as captaining the Latics during last season.

Although he is yet to play a game for his new side, the reported £4 million signing could have a bright future at the club, with Northgraves believing he could be worth every penny.

The Tigers fan said: “The signing of Charlie Hughes - I know we spent quite a bit of money on him - but with his record at Wigan and the hype he comes with; how good his stats had been, the fact he had captained Wigan at such a young age as well as being an England youth international as well.

“I think his potential in terms of an investment in the next few years is that he could potentially become the next Jacob Greaves sort of player.

“I think signing somebody of Charlie Hughes’ ability, when most of the Football League would have been after him too, was very smart from City.

“I think it was an investment worth paying, because if he ends up being anywhere as good as people believe he can be, we will make shed-tons more on him if we ever sold him in the future.

“So I would say Charlie Hughes, just in terms of what he could give us in the next few years.”

Cody Drameh pick up could prove to be shrewd Hull City transfer

While Hughes will inevitably take attention due to his price tag in the summer, City added 15 players to their squad over the summer, as Walter puts his own personal stamp on the Tigers side.

While forward stars like Mohamed Belloumi and Liam Millar joined for reported seven-figure fees, Northgraves believes it could be a player they picked up on a free transfer that could have a big impact in the season ahead.

After featuring on loan for Birmingham City last season, Cody Drameh [pictured] called time on his stay with Leeds United upon the expiration of his contract, with Hull capitalising on the situation by offering him a three-year deal.

Article image:"Next Jacob Greaves" - Exciting Hull City comparison made after Wigan Athletic deal

Despite only featuring as a substitute in two matches for his new side so far, the City fan believes he could have a bright future ahead of him at the MKM Stadium.

He continued: “I think the best bit of business we have done, certainly in terms of value, would be signing Cody Drameh on a free transfer.

“As a young, English, exciting full-back at this level, I think that is a real coup.”

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