Championship expert stunned by Hull City’s ‘mad’ Sergej Jakirovic appointment after Ruben Selles’ sacking

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Hull City’s decision to appoint Sergej Jakirovic as Ruben Selles’ successor does not inspire confidence for one Championship expert.

Despite keeping the Tigers safe from relegation to League One, Hull sacked Ruben Selles in May, calling time on his six-month stint at the MKM Stadium.

Sergej Jakirovic emerged as a leading candidate for Hull and has now departed from Turkish Super League outfit Kayserispor for the Tigers, for his taste of English football.

Bosnian Jakirovic becomes the sixth permanent head coach of the Acun Ilicali Hull era, and there will be lofty expectations from the Tigers faithful ahead of the 2025/26 Championship, for Selles’ successor to deliver better than their relegation-threatened season.

However, one Championship expert has questioned Hull’s decision to sack Selles and appoint Jakirovic.

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Championship expert questions Hull City’s appointment of Sergej Jakirovic

In the wake of Selles’ sacking, Jakirovic made the switch from Kayserispor after just half a season in the hotseat, during which the 48-year-old guided the club to 13th in the Turkish top flight.

One of the obvious positives to his appointment is that Hull ace Abdus Omur could undergo resurgence under Jakirovic, with the Bosnian’s attacking philosophy poised to get the best out of the Turkish attacking midfielder.

Hull fans swarmed social media in rage over the decision to sack Selles last month, so Jakirovic has a lot to prove to win over the Tigers faithful, but one second tier expert believes that there are ‘lots of question marks’ regarding the decision, and Hull’s future.

Ryan Dilks said on the Second Tier podcast: “Jakirovic took Kayserispor, who were third from bottom in the Turkish Super League when he took over in January, and he guided them to a mid-table finish.

“They won the fourth most points in the Turkish Super League from when he was appointed, behind only Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas. So that’s pretty impressive.

“And to make it even more impressive, Kayserispor didn’t sign a single player last season. The problem is that is a very small sample size we’re talking about here,

“Can you really judge how good a manager is based off five months in Turkey? No.

“But then the same question can be asked of the Hull hierarchy. How much had they seen of him before he was managing in Turkey? So, unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of question marks with this guy.

“What I would say is, is he obviously a better manager than Ruben Selles? No, we don’t know that. He might turn out to be, but we don’t know that right now.

“So, to sack a manager who is doing a very good job in the circumstances, so getting in someone who’s a complete unknown, seems like a mad decision in my eyes.

“Look, he might turn out to be a good manager, but based off Hull’s track record and the very limited things that we know about this guy, it doesn’t inspire confidence.”

Jakirovic will be hoping to join the list of Hull’s best managers ranked by win percentage, and brings an impressive managerial record to the MKM Stadium. However, there is one glaring caveat.

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Biggest worry about Sergej Jakirovic appointment by Hull City

As all in the EFL come to know, the Championship is widely regarded in footballing circles as being one of the hardest, most unforgiving divisions in world football, given its ruthless nature and 46-game long season.

Herein lies the major concern for Hull fans regarding the Bosnian head coach, as Jakirovic has never managed a club in English football across his eight years in management.

Jakirovic has had spells in the Croatian First League, the Bosnian Premier League and in the Turkish Super League, but arrives at Hull as a novice to the rigours of English football.

This is where former Reading boss Selles had the upper hand over his successor, as the Spaniard has taken charge of over 100 games within English football, with 27 of those coming in the Championship.

Sacking a universally-liked, competent and experienced head coach in Selles saw Hull fans label Illicali as “insane” on social media.

The Tigers’ owner has therefore taken a massive gamble in replacing Selles with Jakirovic, and it is only the Bosnian who can vindicate Ilicali’s decision in the 2025/26 season, in what could be the best Championship campaign yet.