Further details emerge on Hull City’s failed transfer move

Championship club Hull City spoke to Ryan Babel during the winter but couldn’t get a deal over the line for him due to the fact Galatasaray’s new head coach had him in his first-team plans, according to the Tigers’ owner Acun Ilicali who spoke to Hull Live.

They were linked with the 35-year-old back in January, just days after the Turkish businessman had taken over the club from the Allam family as the former looked to strengthen his squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

In fairness to the second-tier side, they were able to do this successfully with five players coming through the door in the short amount of time Ilicali had to make an impact on the club’s first team.

Although three of these were temporary additions, with Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Marcus Forss and Liam Walsh all arriving on loan, they did manage to get permanent signings in previous loanees Ryan Longman and Regan Slater through the door on a longer-term basis.

This is why many would class Ilicali’s window as a considering success despite their mixed fortunes on the pitch recently.

But the East Yorkshire outfit’s owner has revealed he also suffered disappointment and one potential addition he couldn’t recruit is ex-Liverpool man Babel, who previously looked to be available but wasn’t any longer following a change in manager.

Speaking to Hull Live, the 52-year-old said: “On Ryan Babel, we talked to him in the wintertime. We had a chance to bring him to Hull City but the coach changed at Galatasaray and said ‘I’m going to play you’ so because of that, he stayed.

“I had received permission from Fatih Terim – he’s also a very good friend of mine – who was the coach of Galatasary and the president, too, but because of the new coach asking him to stay,