Boss Adkins believes there will be arrivals at Hull City

The Tigers have offers on the table for up to four players with Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick understood to be close to agreeing a switch to the KCOM Stadium.

All Football League clubs have until 5pm today to complete their business, with many deals expected to be struck with the caveat that a permanent transfer goes through in January.

“It is going to be a challenging season as it is,” said Adkins, who has held several meetings with Tigers vice chairman Ehab Allam over the past 48 hours.

“If we don’t bring players in it is going to make it even more challenging.

“We need to bring players in and I have highlighted that since last season. We are doing everything to keep pushing.

“We are in the throngs of it. The clock is ticking until 5pm and we need to bring players in.

“I am optimistic. I am a positive person and I believe we will be bringing players in to help us. All being well that positivity will bear fruit.”

Adkins’s focus is on arrivals after losing 12 players over the summer, including established stars such as Allan McGregor, David Meyler, Michael Dawson and Abel Hernandez.

But the Hull boss also admits the future of Kamil Grosicki will be a feature of deadline day as several clubs remain interested in the Polish international.

“I am not looking to let anyone go out, but obviously the Grosicki situation is one we are not hiding away from,” he added about a winger who is believed to be wanted on loan by Turkish side Bursaspor.

“There is interest in Kamil, but it has to be right for the football club. There are conversations going on and there are a lot of agents that get involved at this stage.

“Kamil Grosicki is speaking to someone as we speak so we will see how that materialises. He hasn’t gone yet, but talks are going on.”

Pressed as to whether he thought it likely that Grosicki will go, Adkins yesterday replied: “As it stood before I came into this press conference, no.

“There are a lot of things that are going on behind the scenes and there are many different aspects that go into making a deal.”

Grosicki, a £7m signing from French club Rennes in January, 2017, has played just 21 minutes this season, in the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win over Sheffield United, and failed to make the bench in the last four games.

A move would suit both parties although Adkins insists the incoming deals he is hoping to strike before today’s deadline are not dependent on Grosicki’s departure.

“There are a lot of things that go on and regardless of whether Kamil is here or not we have bids on the table for players,” he added.

“That is regardless of whether Kamil goes out somewhere or stays.

“If Kamil stays, great. Sometimes you just have to understand that there are things going on behind the scenes.”

More than six weeks have passed since Hull last made a signing, George Long from Sheffield United.

A slow start that has seen the opening five games yield just four points has underlined the need for Hull to strengthen.

Villa defender Elphick would bring some much-needed experience to a defence that has conceded nine goal in those early league fixtures.

The 30-year-old former Bournemouth captain has been told by Steve Bruce he can leave Villa Park. QPR are also understood to be interested in Elphick, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading.

On the hunt for new players, Tigers’ chief Adkins added: “We can potentially bring four more loan players in. Players who are out of contract and haven’t got a club we can bring in as well.

“We need the quality to improve on what we have. I have highlighted it since the end of last season, we need to improve on that.

“I have to understand as well that the football club is going through a transitional period.

“Sustainability is obviously an important word that gets used and clubs have to cut their cloth accordingly to what they are trying to achieve.

“Whether you like it or not that is the facts and we have to deal with that. I really enjoy being Hull City manager and I am proud to be Hull City manager.

“We’ve got players here who give everything they’ve got and we need to help them. We need to help them with some extra players to help them with their development.

“I want the supporters to have smiles on their faces and it does help if you bring some more players in. It does help if you are winning games of football.”

Jackson Irvine and Nouha Dicko, meanwhile, are expected to miss tomorrow’s clash with Derby due to injury.