Hull City cannot afford to repeat £4m transfer mishap | OneFootball

Dogukan Sinik's time at Hull City is effectively over after three dismal seasons

Not one club is perfect when it comes to their recruitment, although it goes without saying that the good has to outweigh the bad in order to achieve a strong campaign or sustained period of success.

After years without a vast amount of financial backing in the final years of the Allam family's tenure at Hull City, in which the Tigers became more of a selling club with the likes of Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson and Jarrod Bowen, three examples which stick out the most, supporters were able to look forward to a transfer window in which they could flex their own muscles in this regard.

After his £30m takeover in January 2022, Acun Ilicali spelled out his clear vision to make City an attractive side to watch, as well as outlining plans to swiftly end a lengthy period away from the Premier League, having dropped as low as League One in between their top-flight relegation in 2017 and his purchase of the club nearly five years later.

The summer of 2022, which followed a respectable 19th-placed finish under the management of Grant McCann and Shota Arveladze, saw the Georgian backed heavily amid a period of high turnover, with high-profile names such as Jean Michael Seri, Oscar Estupinan, Tobias Figueredo and Ozan Tufan just a quarter of the 16 overall incomings.

Much was also expected of Turkish winger, Dogukan Sinik, who completed a £4m transfer from Antalyaspor on a three-year contract. However, with the 26-year-old's time in HU3 all-but over, his seven-figure mishap will serve as a major warning for the hierarchy, who have already seen a total of 60 fresh faces come, and in some cases, already go.

Dogukan Sinik transfer has been a disaster for Hull City

Despite the expectancy by supporters that Sinik would be a big hit given the seven-figure sum City had parted with for his services, the six-time international was immediately put on the back foot after sustaining a knee injury just days after signing, eventually making his debut against Luton Town - hours after the manager who signed him - Arveladze - was dismissed after a poor start to the season.

The winger would then make 11 of his remaining 12 appearances under the interim management of Andy Dawson and Liam Rosenior, with his solitary assist coming in the latter's first win in charge as Regan Slater netted the winner in a topsy-turvy 3-2 success at Cardiff City.

However, a swift return to his former club and fitness issues sparked a chain of events which made this signing a glaring error for all involved, although Ilicali and Rosenior would describe his return in the summer of 2023 as akin to having a 'new signing'.

Such wishes couldn't have played out any worse though, as Sinik featured just once for City at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, with his final appearance coming in a 13-minute cameo off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Ipswich Town, before returning to Türkiye, this time with Hatayspor, scoring once in just 10 appearances.

Despite remaining an enigma to the City faithful, Tim Walter presented the wide man with a clean slate last summer, which he was hoping to take advantage of when speaking to club channels during a mid-season training camp in his home country, eventually making the bench against West Brom in November, before a second injury of the season put pay to any involvement under the German, who was sacked just 17 days later.

Ruben Selles then admitted a shock inclusion back in the first-team fold could have been a possibility as Sinik ramped up the latest of his recoveries, eventually featuring for the Under-21's.

However, with the City manager's own future in doubt, what isn't in doubt, according to Hull Live is that Sinik's one-year extension clause will be activated, as all parties look to move on from what has been a calamity of a deal.

Hull City cannot afford a similar mishap in the near-future

It sounds glaringly obvious to say that City cannot afford to make yet another sizeable error in the upcoming market, but with reports at the turn of the year claiming that the club were £66m in debt and losing money to the tune of £500,000 per week, recruitment has to be nailed this off-season.

Sections of supporters have stated that the recruitment model at the MKM has become unsustainable with examples of high turnover and a lack of stability evident in each and every off-season, which is hardly a recipe for the success which Ilicali is craving.

Therefore, after a relatively successful January window, the first of Jared Dublin's reign as sporting director, City fans will be hoping for a steady summer under the former Stoke City figure and Martin Hodge, who is poised to become head of recruitment.

Of course, there have been plenty of examples of big-money signings in recent years that have, and are expected to make City a profit - Jaden Philogene and Charlie Hughes spring to mind - although the disastrous spell Sinik has endured is a major warning as to what can occur on the flipside, with no cash to be recouped.