Hull City put contract talks on hold as decision explained over future of eight players

Shota Arveladze says Hull City will wait until the end of the season to decide what happens with the eight out of contract players at the MKM Stadium. The Tigers could take a significant step towards securing their survival with victory at play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough on Saturday, and in doing so, enable them to make cast iron decisions about the future of a significant proportion of their squad.

George Honeyman, Tom Eaves, Mallik Wilks, Matt Ingram, Callum Elder, Josh Emmanuel, Richie Smallwood and Tom Huddlestone all see their deals expire in June, and though the club have options on each of them, none have yet agreed extensions. And while City’s destiny remains firmly in their own hands with six games of the season to go and a 12-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three, the club are keen to not take anything for granted.

“The players know how it stands. The club have made a decision to wait until the end of the season, head coach Shota Arveladze told Hull Live. “We’ll wait until the end of the season to make decisions on all the players.

"We need to focus on finishing the season how we want to, to get as many points as possible. I think inside the club, we’re very content and comfortable with the decisions. Each player is in the same situation, and that means they’re all on the same level.

"Many of them have options and we’ll see what happens. The players are made to feel a part of it, we’re all together and once the season finishes, we’ll take those decisions with the club, the player and the agent.”