After making a big splash in the transfer market last summer and forking out a considerable sum to bring in the likes of Jean-Micheal Seri, Ozan Tufan, Oscar Estupinan and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh the Tigers have been more considered and strategic 12 months on, while mindful of adhering to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

City's main transaction thus far has been the loan signing of Manchester City forward Liam Delap, with the club placing a fair amount of focus on getting rid of some squad players who will not be in Liam Rosenior's plans next month to provide room for manoeuvre in terms of the club's transfer budget and streamlining his squad.

The first senior departure this week saw defender Tobias Figueiredo move onto Brazilian outfit Fortaleza, with more departures likely.

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali. Picture: PA

Ilicali said: "When you look at our squad at the moment, our wages are high plus the money we have paid to clubs we are on the limit, we are playing chess.

"Maybe we have to sell some players so we can bring in some new ones. I think we may have to move on five or six players to free up some space.

"I want our fans to understand that there are some players that we paid money for to their clubs.

"Their wages plus the money we paid to the clubs means our budget is one of the top eight or nine in the league.

"I always say that last year's transfers were good transfers but they were not cheap.

"In the beginning of the season, some of our fans thought our squad was not good enough, but the squad had some absences in some areas."

'Five or six' Hull City players may need to move on from Championship club, admits Tigers owner Acun Ilicali