ACUN Ilicali's fourth anniversary in charge of Hull City arrived earlier this week - and one of the hallmarks of his tenure so far has been the spate of frenzied transfer activity right at the end of winter windows.

In marked contrast, February 2 might just be a little bit quieter, certainly regarding incoming signings.

History has taught you to never say never at Hull on deadline day, but it would constitute a refreshing departure and a strong indicator of the settled state of the Tigers' squad and also their excellent league position.

Hull - who brought in Bristol City loan winger Yu Hirakawa on Monday - have lined up a trio of moves well before the close of business in nine days time with attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell close to finalising a permanent move from Glasgow Rangers as The Yorkshire Post went to press.

HULL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Sergej Jakirovic, Manager of Hull City, looks on prior to the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Hull City and Blackburn Rovers at MKM Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Hull, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

placeholder image — HULL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Sergej Jakirovic, Manager of Hull City, looks on prior to the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Hull City and Blackburn Rovers at MKM Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Hull, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Former Middlesbrough defender Paddy McNair is also set to arrive on a short-term deal from MLS side San Diego - to provide cover in the absence of Semi Ajayi - with young Manchester United attacking midfielder Toby Collyer to join on loan.

Hull have been working closely with EFL officials, with the East Yorkshire outfit operating under strict rules placed on them by the governing body.

While the Tigers' away form has been stellar in recent weeks following successive wins at Preston, Southampton and Middlesbrough, their home numbers - impressive in the first part of the season - have dropped off a little this winter, with just two victories arriving in their last six outings.

As it stands, City's form on the road is bettered only by Boro in 2025-26. They are a modest 12th in the current 'home' table.

Absent: Hull City defender Semi Ajayi (centre). He is pictured battling for the ball with Coventry City's Brandon Thomas-Asante (left) during the Sky Bet Championship match in August. Photo: Nigel French/PA Wire.

With five of their next six league matches due to be on home soil - alongside a glamour cup date with Liam Rosenior's Chelsea - opportunity knocks for fourth-placed Hull in their quest to do something significant about that.

Head coach Sergej Jakirovic, who has led Hull admirably so far this term and marked himself out as an early contender for manager of the year at second-tier level - said: "Especially now we will play a lot of games at home and one away at Blackburn and we will try to get many points."

As for his side's top-six prospects, he commented: "We will see. We are going game by game and I've already told (players) that this is not pressure for us. We have to keep enjoying this moment and we will try to play even better.

"Because we have shown we can play good football and I hope we can continue like this."