Man City chief ‘nearly fell off his chair’ when Phil Brown asked to sign Hull City icon

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Phil Brown is one of the best managers in Hull City’s history since the turn of the century.

With his trusty headset and plucky team of underdogs, the Tigers reached the Premier League in 2008 after Dean Windass’ Championship play-off final wonderstrike against Bristol City.

Many had tipped the Tigers to return to the second tier at the first attempt but, keen to defy the odds, Brown went in search of finding the talent required to keep them in the Premier League.

The Hull manager turned to Manchester City as they planned to signifcantly upgrade their squad following a multi-billion pound takeover, but the Citizens were left shocked by the player he wanted.

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Phil Brown was nearly laughed at when trying to sign Geovanni

If you look up the term ‘Barclaysmen’, the chances are that you will come across Geovanni.

Hull’s Brazilian maestro was exceptional for the Humberside club; however, he wasn’t Brown’s initial target.

When talking to Man City chief Brian Horton, Brown enquired about Geovanni before being met by shock.

Speaking to World Football Index in July 2025: “It actually started with a meeting to sign Tony Warner, a third-choice goalkeeper at City. At the end, the agent said, ‘Anyone else you’re interested in?’ I said we had wages but no transfer fees. He said, ‘What about Geovanni?’

“Brian Horton nearly fell off his chair. I asked about Geovanni’s temperament, and Brian said, ‘He’s a sunshine player – you’ll need to wrap him up in winter – but massively talented.’”

Geovanni made the difference for Hull

His time with the Tigers was short but sweet and in that time, he made a huge difference.

Geovanni’s first season was the particular highlight as his eight goals helped Hull secure survival.

Recollecting that first season, Brown hailed Geovanni as the ‘game-changer’ and claimed he was responsible for earning the club 20 points.

Brown added: “Geovanni was a game-changer. We picked up 20 points from our first nine games. That’s 2.2 points per game – a record for a newly promoted side, I believe.”