da bet7： Selling regular first team players is seldom regarded as a positive move by a club. Hull City have already done that once in this January window, by moving Jake Livermore on to West Bromwich Albion. There has also been some talk that Robert Snodgrass could leave the club this January, too.
da esoccer bet： Marco Silva has significantly improved the performances of the Tigers since his appointment, however. Such a sale would perhaps suggest a club that was accepting their relegation fate and prioritising long-term financial stability over a shot at safety. The sale of Livermore could be interpreted in this way. After all, the former Tottenham man had been pivotal for Mike Phelan during the first half of the season, starting 20 matches for the Tigers and filling in at centre-back for several games.
The fee received for Livermore was a handsome one, though. Even in the current market, £10 million for a player of Livermore’s calibre is a good fee, particularly considering the other options that Hull have in his position.
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Silva understandably identified the necessity for additional goal scorers, signing Oumar Niasse on loan, Evandro for £2.13 million and Lazar Markovic on loan. Markovic will add pace to a front line that has all too often looked one dimensional, Evandro will create chances and Niasse – fresh from his disastrous spell at Everton – has a record as a proven goal scorer. Only Middlesbrough have scored fewer goals than the Tigers thus far, making it a relatively simple decision to add firepower.
While Livermore was an integral member of the Hull squad, the funds raised from his sale could have enabled Silva to sign the players to make a real difference in the final third. While an ideal world would see Hull keep their best players and add quality up front, if this was what was required, it was a necessary decision. A tricky one, but one that the club needed to give themselves any chance of survival. Particularly considering that no player, other than Robert Snodgrass, has scored more than three Premier League goals this season.
Losing Snodgrass in this window would be an altogether different discussion, mind. Considering how important he has been in the few positive results Hull have had, that would represent a real step towards relegation, even if it enabled other signings. Silva deserves the chance to mould the squad how he wants in this window and maybe it was his decision to move Livermore on, maybe he will move to sign a replacement he prefers.
Oddly, Hull selling one of their regular starting players does not suggest a team headed for the drop. In fact, it shows that they are targeting players in the January market and making sensible, bold decisions that could prove to be the difference between the Championship and the Premier League in 2016/17.
They remain one of the favourites for relegation – and understandably so for a team sitting 19th – but Hull have come on leaps and bounds since Marco Silva’s appointment. They were unfortunate not to take a point from Stamford Bridge this weekend and their 3-1 victory over Bournemouth gave the KCOM faithful hope of a great escape for the Tigers.
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