The Three Transfers Road to Improvement: Hull City

(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Hull's struggles last season were also in part down to the lack of ability to retain possession, especially in the central midfield area.

Sure, Jimmy Bullard will be back from injury, and I think he will be an integral part of Hull's team next season, but they definitely need at least one more midfielder in there, especially as George Boateng and Ian Ashbee are not getting any younger. In fact, Bullard himself isn't exactly Mr Indestructible.

Central midfielders in the Premier League (who would realistically want to play for a relegation-threatened team) do not come much better than Kevin Nolan.

A good goalscoring midfielder who never shies away from a challenge, Nolan is a seasoned campaigner in the English top flight, and would be a valuable addition to most Premier League teams.

His form might have suffered a little after his move to Newcastle, but to be fair, almost the entire team underperformed, which ultimately resulted in their relegation.

And it is their relegation which should open the door for a move to sign him, as Newcastle need to sell to keep afloat, and if Hull are serious about retaining their Premier League status, they should have no problem affording the transfer fee.

Phil Brown and Kevin Nolan have also worked together before at Bolton, so that might make the move a little easier to complete.

If Nolan rejects Hull, then Phil Brown should perhaps set his sights on Tom Huddlestone.

The former England U21 international has a superb passing range, and would be a great addition to Hull City.

The current Hull City team looks short of ideas when going forward, and if they had Huddlestone, they would certainly have a little more inspiration in their play.

He also has a good long shot on him, which could be important if Hull cannot find a way past packed defences.

With Harry Redknapp clearing out half the Tottenham squad, Hull might have a chance of getting their claws on a cultured, classy midfielder, and I think Phil Brown should try to get him if the price is right.

LEFT-BACK

While Andy Dawson might be a fan's favourite, having been voted Hull's player of the year in 2007, I feel that he is not good enough to play at the Premiership level.

Dawson is also not someone you would place money on in a sprint challenge, and with him being on the wrong side of 30, this problem will be heavily exploited by pacy wingers next season.

He is also the only specialist left-back at the club, which is obviously not ideal. As such, it would be wise for Phil Brown to try and sign someone to replace or provide back-up for Dawson.

I think Phil Brown should pull out all the stops to try and bring in Emanuel Pogatetz from Middlesbrough.

A player who "never gives less than 300%", as described by his former manager Steve McClaren, Pogatetz is one of the hardest of the "hard men" when it comes to the left-back position.

The Austrian captain might not be the best going forward, but he is very solid at the back, and will not let right-wingers pass him easily.

With Middlesbrough recently being relegated, Hull could take advantage of their situation and sign one of Boro's top players at a reasonable price.

If Hull cannot muster enough funds to finance the move for Pogatetz, Brown could look at bringing in Kieran Gibbs on loan from Arsenal.

While obviously not even half as solid as Pogatetz, Gibbs possesses excellent pace, which gets him out of trouble and makes up for his relative lack of defensive awareness.

Also, the above-mentioned pace will be very useful for Hull on the counter-attack, and should he be signed, I can see him being as exciting as Bernard Mendy on the opposite flank.

I think Arsenal would not mind letting Gibbs go on loan for a season, as Armand Traore is back from his spell at Portsmouth, and will take over as cover for Gael Clichy.

So that's it, those are my suggested signings for Hull City next season. If Brown manages to get these players, I'm sure Hull will not struggle as much next season.

This article and more can also be found at thetipsters, a website set up by my friend Roland and I.

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