Hull City takeover by Acun Ilicali enters final stages as it awaits EFL approval

The deal to buy the club from the unpopular Allam family has been months in the making, and Ilicali entered into an exclusivity agreement in late October to get it completed.

According to reports, the final documents were signed and sent to the league for approval on Friday evening.

Once rubber-stamped it is expected to prompt a flurry of activity, with further clues about the men who will lead the new Tigers regime given over the weekend.

All would-be owners of the Football League’s 72 clubs have to pass an owners and directors test to satisfy them they are fit and proper people with the necessary funds to take on its obligations.

As part of the deal, Hull are set to pay back the money they borrowed from the league to help them through the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a condition of the loan, the East Yorkshire club were put under an embargo which meant the only signings they were able to make had to be free transfers or loan signings, and the size of the first-team squad was not able to exceed 25.

Despite that and the uncertainty over the ownership, coach Grant McCann said last week he was pressing ahead with transfer plans, and believed he was close to doing some deals.

Hull are thought to be interested in re-signing Regan Slater, who had a successful loan from Sheffield United last season, but it would be a surprise if that were close after Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom said he was not in a position to let any more players leave at present, so depleted is his squad by injury and illness.

He did admit, though, there is interest in Slater, who has not played first-team football since returning to his parent club.

Given that he said as recently on Saturday night he had not spoken to Ilicali and was unaware of any plans for that to change, there must be considerable doubt about whether McCann will be part of the new regime, but there have been clues as to the identity of some of those who will be.

It was already known that registered agent Tan Kesler has been lined up as director of football, and he was at December’s game at Bristol City.

Ilicali attended his first Hull match on Saturday, when they took Premier League Everton to extra time in the FA Cup third round before losing 3-2.

He was accompanied at the game by former Sunderland, Notts County and Scunthorpe United chief executive Jim Rodwell, and ex-Caykur Rizespor and Kasimpasa midfielder Merthan Acil. There are also reports of approaches to players in parallel to McCann and head of recruitment Lee Darnbrough’s efforts, with Allahyar Sayyadmanesh the latest linked.

The Iranian striker belongs to Fenerbahce, the club Ilicali supports, but has only played two senior games for them. He has just returned from a loan at Ukrainian Premier League side Zorya Lugansk. Anderlecht are also said to be interested, and the thought of working with Vincent Kompany is said to appeal to Sayyadmanesh.

With transfers only possible until 11pm on January 31, it appears Ilicali does not plan to waste any time strengthening the relegation-threatened squad.

Striker Josh Magennis has been linked with Wigan Athletic.

The Northern Ireland international is out of contract in the summer.

He played a vital part in last season’s League One title-winning season but his goal returns in the Championship campaigns either side have added to the impression, fair or otherwise, that he is not cut out for second-tier football.

The Tigers are two places and three points outside the relegation zone, albeit the sides immediately behind them, Reading and Peterborough United, have a game in hand each.

Hull are at home to Stoke City for a televised game on Sunday and if the takeover is rubber-stamped by then, it seems sure the attendance will be boosted.

Saturday’s 16,282 was Hull’s highest home crowd since Chelsea visited in the FA Cup fourth round two years earlier, albeit a number of the games since were behind closed doors. Many fans have boycotted matches in protest at the ownership of the Allam family, who despite taking Hull to an FA Cup final and the Europa League qualifying rounds as well as twice winning promotion to the Premier League quickly became unpopular.

Assem Allam, an Egyptian businessman who has lived in East Yorkshire since 1968, bought the club in December 2010 but put it up for sale in April 2014 in the face of considerable fan opposition, most notably towards attempts to change the team’s name to Hull Tigers.

The disillusioned 82-year-old now leaves day-to-day running of the club with his son and vice-chairman Ehab, who has a close working relationship with McCann.