Ray Parlour sends message to Hull City's Charlie Hughes over future Premier League move | OneFootball

Former Hull City midfielder Ray Parlour has provided FLW with his exclusive verdict on the signing of Charlie Hughes from Wigan Athletic

Former Hull City midfielder Ray Parlour has issued a message to new recruit Charlie Hughes, who headed to the MKM Stadium this summer from League One outfit Wigan Athletic.

According to a report from the Hull Daily Mail, the Tigers struck an agreement in the region of £3.5m with Wigan to take Hughes to the Championship.

It is believed that Hughes had been a chief defensive target for Hull after losing Jacob Greaves to newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town earlier on in the window, with the Tractor Boys recruiting a host of talent from the Championship after finishing in second place.

The summer transfer window was one of significant upheaval at the MKM Stadium, as the Tigers welcomed 15 fresh faces to the club, including four on deadline day. They did, however, lose more than 20 players across the duration of the summer window, alongside the replacement of Liam Rosenior with Tim Walter, who has faced a series of trials and tribulations after taking the job.

Hull are one of just five teams to have failed to win any of their opening four matches and were most recently defeated 2-0 by Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

Hughes, who made 51 appearances for Wigan across all competitions last season, has sat on the bench for three of Hull's first four fixtures but is poised to make a real impact soon and has been touted for a high potential ceiling by Parlour.

Ray Parlour's Charlie Hughes, Hull City verdict

Former Tigers and Arsenal midfield star Parlour spoke exclusively to Football League World to provide his thoughts on the 20-year-old defender.

Quizzed on whether he could see Hughes following in the footsteps of Greaves by attracting Premier League interest and earning Hull a profit, he said: "Absolutely. If you perform week in week out in the Championship, you will get noticed.

"It’s all down to the player and if Charlie Hughes wants to get to the Premier League, you have to get down to hard work in the Championship and perform to catch the eye.

“You must focus on the now and perform for your current club. For the club itself, if a bid comes in, it means the team are performing on the pitch."

Hull City will look to replicate transfer success with Charlie Hughes

Hull have an outstanding track record when it comes to selling players on to Premier League clubs for considerable profits, and they did so twice this summer by receiving significant top-flight fees for Jaden Philogene and Greaves.

Hughes, a young left-footed central defender with the required ability to read the game, anticipate danger, and progress the ball to help moves start from the very back when under pressure from pressing opponents, is very much in the mold of the latter and arrives as a long-term Greaves' replacement.

Just like Greaves, his footballing profile is tailor-made for the Premier League with a bit of refinement and further experience in the Championship on the way.

Parlour is correct to point out that Premier League teams will notice consistent, top-quality performers in the league below, too. Alongside Philogene and Greaves, the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray, Jack Clarke, and Sammie Szmodics all rightly earned moves to English football's top-flight following impressive 2023/24 campaigns.

Jarrod Bowen and Keane Lewis-Potter are two ex-Tigers currently plying their trades in the Premier League and it will be hoped that Hughes can match that trajectory in the years to come.