SV Darmstadt exploits could hold the key for Tim Walter's Hull City, Championship aims: View | OneFootball

Tim Walter's knowledge of the 2.Bundesliga could come in clutch for Hull City

Utilising pre-established connections is nothing new in the transfer market.

However, the acquisition of a former youngster known to Tim Walter could hold one of the keys when it comes to fulfilling Hull City's aims for this forthcoming Championship season.

Walter hasn't held back when it comes to assessing the overall mould of his squad despite some impressive performances in a pre-season campaign which hasn't yielded a victory thus far.

While there are names across the pitch who have already made an impression in the German's high-pressing system, which has been described as "something different" by Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe, significant quality and depth are still required in forward areas, and it seems as if City have finally found a breakthrough in filling one of those voids.

Marvin Mehlem transfer could be key to Hull City's Championship aims

There's no denying that the movement showcased within Hull's first quartet of pre-season outings means there is a great need for versatility among Walter's new chargers, and SV Darmstadt's Marvin Mehlem definitely falls into said category.

In fact, it speaks volumes about Walter's charisma and influence as a manager that Mehlem, a former colleague of Walter's in the FC Karlsruhe youth setup, hasn't forgotten about the 48-year-old's influence and is eager to push a move through to the MKM Stadium.

Furthermore, the midfielder's record at SV Darmstadt - recent opponents of Coventry City in a pre-season outing - proves his capability as a solid performer at both 2.Bundesliga and Bundesliga level, with the new City boss' former side, Hamburg SV, operating at a similar standard to 'Die Lilien' in recent years, despite being able to emulate their short jump back into the German top flight.

Last season, the 26-year-old still showed glimpses of his ability in what was a difficult campaign for a side which also included recent Birmingham City recruit, Christoph Klarer, as he operated behind forwards Tim Skarke and Oscar Vilhelmsson in a 3-4-1-2 system, netting against Union Berlin, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen - all three came before the end of September - as well as accumulating two assists and 43 touches per game in a season blighted by two cases of a broken fibula.

However, his previous numbers in the German second tier prove Mehlem's strong ability to link play between the midfield and attacking department, a void Hull need to fill after the loss of Ozan Tufan, with metrics such as three further goals, five assists, the creation of eight big chances and 1.7 key passes per game, building on a similar total in the 2021/22 season.

On top of featuring as a predominantly attack-minded central midfielder, Mehlem has also featured 47 times in a deeper role, which in Hull's case is currently filled by the likes of Jean Michael Seri and Regan Slater, as well as 41 appearances and 10 of his career goal contributions coming from the left flank.

Tim Walter can recreate Laszlo Benes' form with Marvin Mehlem transfer

Walter clearly has a knack of transforming those in the centre of the park into potent goalscoring threats, which was somewhat shown by Hull as 27 goals came from those in a deep or more advanced role last season, and there is definitely scope for such numbers to be built on with the Darmstadt man.

What won't be lost on Walter is the form shown by Slovakian international Laszlo Benes throughout his final season at the Volksparkstadion, with the man who, like Mehlem, had worked under the former Bayern Munich youth coach earlier in his career, accumulating 13 goals and 11 assists from a deeper role for Hamburg, of which 19 came prior to a changing of the guard for 'Die Rothosen' in early February.

Furthermore, we have seen an abundance of names come over the channel from Germany in recent years and take the Championship by storm, with Norwich City being the prime example, having a core of compatriots as they won the title in both 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Marco Stiepermann is a prime example of someone Mehlem could emulate in his first season in England, with the former Canary registering nine goals and six assists under Daniel Farke in the first of those two league-winning campaigns.