04.06.2026 19:10
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic, who led the team to promotion to the Premier League, made statements about the future. The successful coach, who announced that he received an offer from Acun Ilıcalı to sign a new contract, said, "We met with Acun Ilıcalı. He told me he has prepared a new contract. It's quite normal to get a new contract now that we are a Premier League club."
Hull City, who achieved promotion to the English Premier League, manager Sergej Jakirovic made important statements about transfer planning, his close relationship with club president Acun Ilıcalı, and his career goals.
"I PINCHED MYSELF TO BELIEVE IT"
Jakirovic, expressing his happiness after the historic success with his team, said, "In the early days, I thought I needed to pinch myself to make sure all this was real and that we were promoted to the Premier League. Everywhere I go, people come up to me and congratulate me."
"WE CAN PAY TRANSFER FEES"
Speaking about the transfer budget and structure for the next season, the experienced coach stated, "I don't think we will have huge budgets, but most importantly, we no longer have any transfer ban, and we can pay transfer fees. We have a very good sporting director (Jared Dublin) who knows the player market very well and identifies relatively cheap but quality names from countries like Belgium and France. Although the final decision always rests with me, we have a great collaboration with Dublin and his team, and we meet on common ground."
"THERE IS GREAT TRUST BETWEEN US"
Referring to his relationship with President Acun Ilıcalı, the Bosnian coach stated that he is very happy with the value he receives at the club. Jakirovic, making a subtle reference to his time at his former club Dinamo Zagreb, said, "Even though I lost only 10 out of 60 matches at Dinamo, I was treated as if I were unsuccessful; only defeats mattered there. At Hull City, the value I receive makes me feel very good. From our first meeting, Acun Ilıcalı and I got along very well and immediately determined what we wanted to do. He never questions my decisions."
"HE SAID HE PREPARED A NEW CONTRACT"
Jakirovic revealed that Acun Ilıcalı made him an offer, saying, "On Monday, we met with Acun Ilıcalı. He told me that he prepared a new contract. Since we are now a Premier League club, receiving a new contract is quite normal. Last summer, people said the team would be relegated, but we got promoted to the Premier League. Now everyone says we need to survive the first season. I don't know fear; I see this as a great challenge for both myself and the club. We will stay in the Premier League, and there are many teams we can compete with."