Indeed, having been taken over by Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali in February earlier this year, this summer represents the real beginning of a new era for Hull.
Previous Hull owner Assem Allam had been in charge of the club since August 2013, and was a hugely divisive figure on Humberside, with his changing of the club’s name to ‘Hull City Tigers’ a particular nadir for most of the fanbase.
As is to be expected under a new ownership model, there has already been plenty of change at the club, with the likes of Keane Lewis-Potter, George Honeyman and Tom Eaves departing for pastures new this summer.
However, Ilicali is clearly putting his Turkish contacts to good use already, having attracted Allahyar Sayyadmaneshand Ozan Tufan on permanent deals from Fenerbahce.
The duo both started in Hull’s 2-0 defeat to their former club on Sunday, with late strikes from Arda Guler and Serdar Dursun breaking the Championship side’s stubborn resistance against last season’s Super Lig runners-up.
More new bodies are expected to follow them through the door in the coming days and weeks, with Shota Arveladze keen to build a winning formula as quickly as possible.
Hull’s forthcoming opponents Malaga, on the other hand, appear to be a club on a downward trajectory.
Having only been minutes away from reaching the Champions League semi-final in 2013, when Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund miraculously struck twice in injury time to break their hearts, there has been little to smile about for fans of the southern Spain club since.
After being banned from UEFA competition for carrying significant financial debts, Qatari owner Abdullah ben Nasser Al-Thani’s investment into the club has been miniscule compared to his first three lavish years.
After being relegated from La Liga in 2018, Los Albicelestes almost bounced back at the first attempt in the following season, ultimately falling at the promotion playoff hurdle.
