Hull City must be laughing at £15m Ipswich Town agreement | OneFootball

Jacob Greaves left Hull City for Ipswich in a £15m deal, though Hull have since arguably upgraded that area since

Despite being placed under a transfer embargo for the entire season, Hull City remain well-placed for a top-six finish this season under Bosnian boss Sergej Jakirovic, against the odds.

Things are rarely ever stable at Hull City.

From the Allam's ownership to now under Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali, the Tigers rarely have a quiet season, and this year is no exception.

The club was placed under a transfer embargo at the beginning of the campaign, meaning that they could not pay a fee for a player for the next 18 months, though they have since had that sentence reduced to 12 months, meaning they are allowed to spend again as early as this summer.

This was due to the fact that the club made late payments to Aston Villa for forward Louie Barry, despite the club making large profits over the past couple of seasons, specifically the sales of Jaden Philogene to Villa and Jacob Greaves to Ipswich Town.

At the time, Greaves' sale came as a huge blow, though despite Hull losing the left-footed defender and being placed under embargo, they are the ones that will be laughing now.

Hull City sold Jacob Greaves to Ipswich Town for £15 million, but replaced him sensationally

Fresh off the back of finishing just outside the play-offs under current Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, in what was a bittersweet campaign that saw mass improvement but ultimately falling short, newly-promoted Ipswich Town completed a £15 million deal for defender Jacob Greaves in the summer.

At the time, it was seen as a huge loss for the Tigers, who, at 23, had already made over 175 appearances across all competitions for his boyhood club, including 43 in the Championship in his final season at the MKM Stadium.

However, not even the most optimistic of Hull fans could have possibly predicted just how good his replacement would be, as some supporters may argue that they have actually upgraded.

In the same window as Greaves was sold to Ipswich, Hull signed Wigan Athletic centre-back Charlie Hughes in a deal worth £3.5 million.

Still only 20 at the time of his arrival, Hughes had just enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign with the Latics, making 43 League One appearances as well as earning call-ups to the England Under-21 side.

It had been expected that Greaves would go on to thrive in the Premier League with Ipswich, whilst Hughes would endure a season of adaptation to the second tier, and whilst that is not too far from the case, Hull's decision to sell Greaves and bring in Hughes now looks like an incredible deal.

Charlie Hughes could be sold for even more than Jacob Greaves

Greaves made 25 Premier League appearances last season as the Tractor Boys were immediately relegated back to the second tier, and it was assumed that he would retain his place in the heart of defence heading back into the Championship.

However, with Dara O'Shea having locked down one centre-back spot and Cedric Kipre coming in and providing strong competition, Greaves has seen his minutes slashed this season as a result.

Capable of also deputising at left-back, but with Leif Davis as competition there, Greaves has no clear route back into the side, and you'd imagine if Ipswich fire themselves back to the top flight this year, his minutes won't improve there.

Meanwhile, after a year of adaptation at the MKM Stadium, making 27 league appearances in his inaugural year with the Tigers, Hughes has become one of the league's standout defenders this campaign.

Coventry City saw two bids for Hughes rejected in the summer, whilst Premier League side Crystal Palace reportedly earmarked the 22-year-old as a potential replacement for Marc Guehi in January, who joined Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, though with an option to extend for a further year if they so pleased, Hull are in the driving seat when it comes to negotiating a fee for the defender, though they will likely much rather keep a hold of him for at least one more season, whether they are promoted this year.

With Greaves falling out of favour at Ipswich and Hughes thriving at Hull, it's the Tigers who will be laughing at this summer transfer agreement as things stand.