Unless they are extremely fortunate, Hull City will probably miss out on a spot in the Championship play-offs because they have found their best form at the wrong time this season.
The Tigers are currently in seventh place, six points behind Norwich City, having only won two of their previous nine games. Importantly, Hull does have a game coming up that offers them some hope.
In January, Liam Rosenior’s team made some excellent additions to their roster, including players who might have been signed by larger teams. Seven players were brought in, including Ryan Giles, Anass Zaroury, and Fabio Carvalho, who were on loan from Burnley, Luton Town, and Liverpool, respectively.
However, Hull’s owner Alun Ilcali will undoubtedly support the manager once more ahead of what appears to be a busy summer with many loan players expected to return to their parent clubs. In the end, though, they might not live up to expectations.
Hull may attempt to sign Chris Willock, a winger for QPR.
Our fan pundit Ant Northgraves, who spoke exclusively to FLW, stated that Hull should be considering signing Chris Willock of Queens Park Rangers in the summer.
“I really think we should go after Chris Willock,” he stated. One of the star players at QPR, right up there with Ilias Chair, to be sure. We tried to sign him permanently in January, but we were unable to close the deal because of how closely we are working with FFP right now.
We will need depth at the wing position, and players like Anass Zaroury will be returning to their parent clubs, so I would be shocked if we did not make another run at him in the summer.
As it stands, Jacoben Philogene and Abdul Omur will be our primary wingers, with Jason Lokilo as a backup and Harry Vaughan. However, Vaughan is still very young and inexperienced; he will likely need a few loan stints to gain more playing time, and Lokilo may have demonstrated that he is not good enough for this level. As a result, we will need a player who can step up in the event of an injury, suspension, or slump in the other layers and provide competition.
“So yeah, Chris Willock is a really good player, and I would really like us to go after him.”
Chris Willock could be a great signing for Hull
Hull may have made a very wise and astute signing in Willock.
Zaroury’s return to Burnley and Philogene’s reported departure with Premier League clubs have left Hull without much depth on the wings, as was previously mentioned.
While Lokilo was loaned out to Portugal in January after failing to make an impression in the first half of the season, Vaughan is expected to be moved on loan.
Hull could find Willock to be a less expensive option. Since his contract is scheduled to expire in the summer, a free transfer of him would be possible.
He has demonstrated his ability at this level for several years and, at just 26, he still has a lot to offer at the championship level.
| Chris Willock’s QPR stats (league only, as of 16/04/24, as per FotMob) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 23/24 | 36 | 4 | 3 |
| 22/23 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
| 21/22 | 35 | 7 | 11 |
| 20/21 | 38 | 3 | 5 |
Currently in his fourth season with QPR, he remains a key attacking threat and is versatile enough to play behind the striker wherever needed.
Willock could be the answer to Hull’s future issues and would be a fantastic free agent signing.