Shota Arveladze provides an update on key Hull City negotiations

Following their takeover at the start of the year, Hull City head coach Shota Arveladze is in for a busy summer as his side look to strengthen their team for next season. 

As it stands, Hull have eight players out of contract this summer including Richie Smallwood, George Honeyman, Tom Eaves, Matt Ingram, Callum Elder, Mallik Wilks, Josh Emmanuel and Tom Huddlestone and it’s not yet known who will be staying put with the Tigers.

Speaking about the progress of contract negotiations, Arveladze told Hull Live: “Some negotiations are going up and down, you know how it works, but this club is showing its will and position to the players which is very good.

“We will continue to do our homework and we’ll know more in the next three weeks and we’ll let everybody know when we can.”

In the cases of significant players, captain Richie Smallwood and George Honeyman, the club has an option to extend both contracts for another year.

Earlier this year, Smallwood revealed he had not been spoken to regarding a new contract yet but suggested he would like to extend his time with the club.

However when asked if there was any progress with the contracts of Smallwood and Honeyman specifically, Arveladze said: “Yes, I’ve talked to them and the board have also talked to them.

“All of them feel how important they are for our next steps, and I think we’ve shown them that.”

The Verdict:

Hull are definitely going to have a job on their hands this summer as they compose a new level of team up at Hull.

Naturally, with the new owners these negotiations are likely to take longer than usual as both parties might have amendments they wish to make to the existing contract.

Furthermore, Hull are in a position where they don’t want to release players they