Hull City concern issued over Sergej Jakirovic's future - Brentford, Burnley & Leeds United have been name-dropped | OneFootball

FLW’s Hull City fan pundit has commented on whether he fears an exit of boss Sergej Jakirovic.

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…

Despite a heavy defeat to Middlesbrough, Hull City are still firmly in the race for promotion back to the Premier League.

After scrapping for second-tier survival with Ruben Selles last term, there was little optimism when an unknown quantity was appointed in the form of Sergej Jakirovic, but the Tigers have sparked into life under his guidance and are competing towards the top end of the table in a welcomed change.

It wasn’t a breathtaking start to life under his tenure though, with the club winning just one of their opening five league games, but a resurgence occurred when they followed it up with just one defeat in nine matches between mid-September to the start of November.

While Hull have gone on more of a recent decline again with four defeats in their last six outings, there is expectation that the club will bounce back at some stage, and there is an incentive to do so given they are so close to a place inside the top six.

Even though this Hull side is struggling for consistency, Jakirovic has been a massive part in changing the Yorkshire outfit’s fortunes and getting supporters dreaming of a top-flight return for the first time since 2017.

Of course, when managers are performing admirably in the Championship, there are always Premier League teams keeping their eyes on the division below and seeing if they can lure them away from their current roles to manage in the big time.

Over the coming months as teams struggle at the foot of the top-flight table, there may be some slight concern that Jakirovic may be tempted to switch allegiances, which could be possible given his short stints at his previous clubs.

With this in mind, FLW’s Hull City fan pundit has commented on whether he can see the 48-year-old joining a Premier League club this season.

Sergej Jakirovic trend a concern to Hull City over long-term Tigers future

Speaking to Football League World, Hull City fan pundit Cameron Gibson has admitted he wouldn’t be surprised to see boss Sergej Jakirovic be linked with a future Premier League post, but is hopeful the Bosnian can show loyalty and have a long-term stay at the MKM Stadium.

Cameron said: “I think as Hull City fans, you will always have it in the back of your mind, because we’re not one of the biggest clubs in the league, but we’re definitely a good-sized club with Premier League history in the past, so if Sergej wants to get to the Premier League then he knows it’s achievable at our club.

“If a Premier League job was to become available, then I wouldn’t be surprised if they were looking at Sergej, but I do think he’ll see out this season.

"Looking at his managerial career, wherever he’s been, he’s never stayed longer than one or two seasons, so I’m hoping he can break that mold with Hull City and hopefully stay for a good amount of time.

“I think he’s exceeded everyone’s expectations. He’s definitely overachieved from what I expected at the start of the season, and I was hoping during the last international break that we would tie him down to a long-term deal, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case yet.

“But he doesn’t want to leave by the sounds of it, he doesn’t want to jump ship, he likes the squad he’s building and after this season he’ll have money to play with in the transfer window, whether that is again in the Championship or possibly in the Premier League.

“But if a Brentford, Burnley, Leeds, someone like that, if they were to sack their manager, then they would have to stump up some really good cash, but even then, I don’t think it would be worth letting go of him, because he’s that good. He’s made such an impact on the club and team that we should do whatever we can to hold onto him.

“We have given him the opportunity at the end of the day. At the start of the season, when nobody in the Championship had heard of him, no one else gave him the job apart from us, so hopefully he’s loyal.”

When it comes to being a Championship club, the brutal nature of football means that a manager or player will want to go on to bigger and better things in the top divisions, regardless of the time they’ve been at their original club.

A classic example this season has been Middlesbrough dealing with the departure of Rob Edwards to Wolves, which was seen as a questionable decision given the West Midlands outfit are very likely to be relegated from the Premier League this term, while Boro have a strong chance of taking their place come next May.

But the lure of the top-flight and opportunity of being successful in it is always too tough to turn down, regardless of the club and team they're inheriting, so Hull fans must be prepared for the worst if they are situated towards the top end of the table in the coming weeks and months.

You would hope Jakirovic would show some loyalty to the team that gave him his first break in England, but Tigers supporters shouldn’t be surprised if he does move on given his short managerial stints elsewhere and the ambition most have of managing in one of the best divisions in the world.

For now, Hull fans should just enjoy the ride of being in the promotion conversation, and cross that bridge if talks ramp up about his future later down the line.