Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has promised to support manager Sergej Jakirovic even if the club sits at the bottom of the Premier League at Christmas.
The Turkish entrepreneur insisted he will not judge the 49-year-old Bosnian coach by table position as Hull prepare to rejoin the top flight this weekend at home to Manchester United.
Ilicali explained that he and Jakirovic are completely matching in their vision, unlike his relationship with former manager Liam Rosenior, who was dismissed two summers ago. Jakirovic took over when Hull were facing Championship relegation and guided them through last May's play-off victory against Middlesbrough to secure promotion.
"Some things happen unexpectedly in life. It's like that in marriage. Are you always together until death? No," Ilicali said when asked if Jakirovic would remain in charge next year. "But if there are some failures, it will not be Sergej's fault. Maybe the players will be young, inexperienced, new to the Premier League. Of course, I will stand by him if he loses games. I will not be judging him by the position in the table. It will be what can we do more to make him successful."
An era-defining transfer window
To prepare for the Premier League season, Ilicali has set a transfer budget of 200 million pounds, covering both fees and wages, in a squad overhaul aimed at bringing 15 new players to the club.
"The next five years of the club's history will be decided in the next two months," Ilicali warned. "And what we are trying to do is complicated. If you fail, you will be relegated. If you are not careful, you will have players you are then not able to sell. And at worst, this situation can be a disaster for a club."
Ilicali revealed that Hull did not attempt to bring back former loanee Liam Delap from Chelsea this summer because the London club's wage demands would have been double Hull's squad average. "We love him and I hope he loves us but for this season, I didn't even ask Chelsea," he said.
Recruitment strategy and new signings
Rather than competing for established Premier League talent, Ilicali and his recruitment team have focused on top divisions in Germany, Italy, France and Spain to find players eager to prove themselves in England.
"These boys don't come easily," Ilicali said regarding established top-flight players. "A good, experienced, successful player in the Premier League will have four or five options. Why should he choose a team that everybody thinks will be relegated? It is easy to say, 'Get the Premier League boys and be safe,' but most of the boys you can bring from the Premier League will not be wanted by their club, so you will not be able to take the shiny ones. Manchester United or City will take those shiny ones, but they will not come to us."
He added: "So instead of Premier League players past the top of their careers, I go for those who have the dream of playing in the Premier League. Boys who want to play in the best league in the world."
Hull have already secured nine new signings toward their target of 15 incomers. The new additions include Nobel Mendy, a 22-year-old Senegalese centre-back signed for 20 million pounds from Rayo Vallecano, Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, 23, from Olympiacos, and 23-year-old midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath from Red Bull Salzburg.
The club has also signed teenage Australian defender Lucas Herrington from MLS side Colorado Rapids. Hull are targeting Real Betis winger Pablo Garcia, while analysis is underway on Deportivo La Coruna star Yeremay Hernandez. Additionally, defender Matt Targett declared himself ready to compete for a starting spot, and striker Joe Gelhardt's arrival from Leeds United was reported as imminent.
A move for Everton midfielder Tim Iroegbunam remains possible despite a hamstring injury that will sideline him for three weeks. Ilicali noted that spreading investment across younger international players reduces salary risk and creates potential sell-on value for future reinvestment.
Backroom changes and club operations
Ilicali takes a personal role in recruitment, speaking directly with every new signing. "This team has a family spirit and this brought us to the Premier League," Ilicali said. "We want hungry players, real professionals, dedicated people. I like the word 'dedicated' in life. Dedicated people get success. So, 'dedicated' is a word in our transfers."
The squad rebuilding follows the departure of sporting director Jared Dublin after last season's promotion. Dublin left after his salary expectations exceeded the club's structure. "Jared just valued himself at a level which for our principle was not possible," Ilicali explained. "I respect him and wish him success."
Dublin has been replaced by American administrator Okan Ozkan, a former assistant sporting director at Fenerbahce who previously worked with Ilicali. Ilicali expects a seamless transition, stating: "Okan is a very successful boy, who I have worked with in this setting, and he has a very good future. It will be seamless."
The owner brings diverse experience to his role at Hull. A former television football reporter, Ilicali built a career as a media mogul and reality television entrepreneur before purchasing the East Yorkshire club. He also spent a year managing football operations at Turkish club Fenerbahce alongside his media commitments.
Ilicali resides in Ferriby, where he recently purchased a detached property overlooking the Humber Estuary that he had previously rented. He drives a distinctive Rolls-Royce featuring amber trim in honor of Hull City's colors.
Challenging the pundits
Infrastructure work is currently underway at the MKM Stadium to upgrade media facilities in preparation for top-flight football. Despite widespread predictions from pundits that Hull will finish bottom of the table, Ilicali remains unfazed.
"Most of the predictions have us there," Ilicali acknowledged. "It's like last year, when 80 per cent of the football people in England were thinking we were going to be relegated from the Championship. I just hope that one day I am one of the analysts so I can see what this job is like."
Citing a Turkish expression, Yattığın yerden konuşma, which translates to "don't pontificate from a position of comfort," Ilicali had a clear message for critics: "To those who are sceptics, I say: 'Come here and see us first.'"
Ilicali has maintained direct communication with supporters on social media, using national flag emojis on Twitter/X to indicate incoming player nationalities and egg-timer icons for ongoing negotiations. He explained that this transparency prevents agents from using the club's name to generate false transfer rumors.
"When I looked at our new transfer targets, I thought it was like the United Nations," Ilicali said. "I was seeing some fake information about some players that we were interested in, which was agents using us and giving unnecessary hope to my fans. I'm someone who once queued for a ticket for games and this boy became the owner of this club, so I like to think that in some small way I'm representing the ordinary fan."
Looking to the future
When asked which club Hull are modelling themselves on, Ilicali joked: "Leicester City ten years ago! That's the best model of all!" He clarified that he views sustainable clubs like Brentford and Brighton as realistic examples.
"I love to be the 'underdog', because there's no translation of this word in Turkish," Ilicali reflected. "It would be as good as promotion this year to stay in the league."
Looking ahead to future transfer windows, Ilicali concluded: "And if we do stay up, people will maybe say: 'Hull can fight for the top ten.' So then we can bring in the stars."
