Hull City are genuinely starting to look like one of the dark horses of this Premier League season.
3 games. 3 clean sheets. 2 wins. Still unbeaten.
And remember, this is a newly promoted side that many people had already written off as relegation certainties.
Instead, Hull shocked everyone by beating Manchester United 2-0 in their opening game, followed that up with a 1-0 away win against Coventry City, and then held Aston Villa to a hard-fought 0-0 draw.
That's a dream start to life back in the Premier League.
They've also been extremely aggressive in the transfer market, bringing in 18 new players to strengthen the squad. But the biggest reason behind this transformation might be the man on the touchline.
Sergej Jakirović.
The Bosnian manager dramatically guided Hull out of the Championship through the play-offs last season, and he's now built a team that looks incredibly disciplined, organised and difficult to break down.
Three clean sheets in three games isn't luck.
Hull have already shown that they can frustrate bigger teams, defend their box and grind out results.
The club have clearly recognised what Jakirović is building too, rewarding him with a contract extension until 2028.
At this point, they're not just looking like a team trying to survive relegation.
They're potentially on the verge of securing another Premier League season very early.
And if they can maintain this level of performance?
Hull City might be a lot more than just a survival story this season.
The dark horses are already here. 🐯
Hull City learning from Nottingham Forest and Sunderland majorly. If they don’t learn, they’d go back to where they’re coming from.
In 2023/24 season, the three newly-promoted teams; Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United all relegated to the Championship.
In 2024/25, all of the newly-promoted teams; Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich were relegated.
In 25/26, only one newly-promoted team (Burnley) returned to the Championship.
This is to tell you that, the newly-promoted teams are taking their lives seriously. We know quantity is not quality, but it’s a good headache for the coach to have.
No matter how much some players have helped you, when you step up to a higher league, you need to do away with some of them and sign players who can play at that level. Wrexham has followed this script in the last 5 years.
If you remember Paul Mullin and many others for Wrexham from the National League, as they moved higher, they had to let them go. They were good players, but they needed better players for higher levels.
Personally, I love Hull’s owner, Acun Ilicali. The first time I listened to him, you’d know he’s a TV guy. He said everyone tipped them for relegation in the championship, but they got promoted. He said everyone has tipped them for relegation in the premier league again, he loves it because he loves to prove them wrong.
Let’s watch and see. I’m rooting for them.
Pablo García estava no Betis há 15 anos, desde os 5, e tinha subido em definitivo à equipa principal, mas acabou vendido ao Racing no último dia de mercado para que cumprissem o fair-play financeiro da LaLiga.
Ele e a mãe saíram em lágrimas do clube 💔
O mercado do Hull City é uma barbaridade, mesmo considerando o bónus de jogar na Premier League. Compra em vários mercados, para o presente e para o futuro. O futebol grego fica como um dos grandes vencedores da janela. Tzolakis e Mouzakitis merecem toda a atenção.