Acun Ilicali sent major Hull City warning as surprise Championship news breaks

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Hull City are crying out for some long-term stability, something that hasn’t existed since Acun Ilicali acquired the Tigers in January 2022.

A total of six managers have taken charge of Hull in the last three-and-a-half years, with Sergej Jakirovic the latest to be thrown into the hot seat.

Jakirovic was finally announced as the new manager last week, replacing the popular Ruben Selles, who was sacked after narrowly avoiding relegation against Portsmouth on the final day.

The decision to dismiss Selles didn’t go down well with most of the fanbase, as they felt he deserved an opportunity to assemble a stronger squad this summer.

But now, as the Spaniard prepares to embark on his next job in management, owner Ilicali has been sent a timely reminder of his poor decision-making.

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Ruben Selles is the favourite to land the Sheffield United job

Whether the choice of sacking the 42-year-old ends up being justified remains to be seen, but the signs are already there to suggest Ilicali could have made a grave error.

It was shockingly revealed last week that Sheffield United was set for crunch talks with Chris Wilder over his future, despite the Blades losing in the Championship play-off final against Sunderland.

While some United fans have labelled the decision as ‘disgusting’, what’s more surprising is Selles emerging as a strong contender to replace Wilder.

EFL Analysis also confirmed that Sheffield United have held talks with Selles and have touched base with Southampton counterparts for references on the Spaniard.

Selles has previously worked under difficult circumstances at the Saints, Reading, and even Hull, but a move to Bramall Lane would give him a promotion-level budget to work with.

That is a major upgrade on the situation he was presented with at the MKM Stadium, and successfully winning promotion with the South Yorkshire outfit would prove Ilicali made another decision that backfired.

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Acun Ilicali wrongfully sacked Liam Rosenior in 2024

Ilicali is creating a trend of sacking managers at Hull and them instantly going onto bigger and better things after leaving.

In 2024, Hull sacked Liam Rosenior after City finished in seventh position in the Championship, narrowly missing out on a place in the top six.

Rosenior was rated highly by almost all of his peers in English football and across Europe, as he bagged the managerial role at Strasbourg.

The Englishman implemented his easy-on-the-eye style in France and with a young squad, very nearly finished in the Champions League spots, instead settling for a place in the Europa Conference League.

He’s the prime example of what can happen when a manager uses being sacked as fuel to achieve success elsewhere, with Ilicali being made to eat a huge slice of humble pie.