Hull City made some outstanding recruits in the summer transfer window, which have benefited them tremendously this season.
It hasn’t been a great start for the Tigers, who are currently 19th in the Championship, but it would have been even worse without Kasey Palmer’s goals and Mohamed Belloumi’s assists, both of which were signed this summer.
However, as the January window approaches, their rocky start will remind many fans of the deals they recently lost out on.
We asked Ryan, our Tigers Fan Pundit, about a player his team was linked with but ultimately missed out on.
Hull City fan regrets Liam Delap transfer miss
There was only ever going to be one explanation for Tigers fans, and it was a recent squandered opportunity: Liam Delap.
Ryan told Football League World: “I’d like to give you an old school one, like Neymar to West Ham, but mine has to be Liam Delap.
“Because, according to certain club insiders, if Rosenior hadn’t been terminated, Liam Delap would have returned on a permanent basis.
“It certainly aches to see Liam Delap flourish in the way he has.
“Well, it doesn’t sting, it’s bittersweet because I’m really rooting for him, and I’m loving everything that he’s doing in the Premier League, but it hurts that what happened in the summer has had such a knock-on effect, and we could have had that player not only in our ranks but at our disposal in terms of him being our own player.
“And even if all City are considered a feeder club, we could have got a massive price tag on him, even if we hadn’t have gone up.”
It will be difficult to watch Delap’s progress this season
If it was as simple as missing out on Delap due to a managerial change, Hull fans will be deeply upset that the striker was unable to make a permanent move to the MKM Stadium.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan with the club, scoring eight goals and assisting twice, so they know precisely what he’s about, but even they may be surprised by how well he’s adjusted to Premier League life.
In just 11 appearances for Ipswich Town, the club he eventually joined, he’s scored six top-flight goals and assisted another, in a side that isn’t exactly lighting up the division.
They, too, have faced difficult challenges. He began his account against a strong Fulham side, scored twice against Champions League rivals Aston Villa, and provided a critical goal and assist in the Tractor Boys’ first top-tier victory, no less, away against Tottenham Hotspur.
Regardless of the outcome of his current team’s season, Delap’s career appears to be moving in only one direction.
Hull fans, like Ryan, will definitely wish Delap well and love watching him improve, but it will be difficult to watch given how close he came to being a full-fledged Hull player only a few months ago.
They could certainly use his goals, and while anything like his current form would have made him tough to maintain, he would have undoubtedly brought in a lot of money for the club in a future transfer window.
The missed opportunity to sign Delap will undoubtedly sting Hull fans for a long time.
