Hull City's January window priority was not transfers but ending Keane Lewis-Potter stand-off

The Tigers' depth has allowed them to challenge for the title as well as progressing in the Football League Trophy, a competition manager Grant McCann has embraced when many of his colleagues choose to shun it it.

That Hull beat Charlton Athletic in their first game of 2021 with four players thought to be missing through Covid-19 – the club would not confirm numbers or identities – showed the squad depth at the KCOM Stadium but also highlighted why they cannot be complacent.

Signing Jordan Flores, Gavin Whyte and Dan Crowley showed a club unwilling to stand still but their most important bit of January business was to tie Keane Lewis-Potter down to a new contract.

Sod's Law dictated the stand-off with the teenage forward would quickly cause problems elsewhere in January.

Lewis-Potter was expected to be one of the breakthrough stars of the season as the Tigers dropped down a level to League One, and the way he started it suggested as much. Even with McCann using him sparingly as other forward players stepped up to the plate, he had scored six goals by the end of October.

It was a week after he scored the last of those goals, in the 2-1 defeat at Swindon Town, that problems began to emerge. Lewis-Potter has not started a match since November's FA Cup win over Fleetwood Town. Another start triggering an additional payment was thought to be the issue.

Hull and the player were apparently in agreement over wages, it was just that the 19-year-old was unwilling to extend his stay beyond 2022.

"I thought we were very close in terms of a contract with Keane, and you can see the football club is making a commitment about tying the younger players down to longer-term contracts,” said McCann recently.

"I think we're there financially, but it is the years. We wanted to add another year onto his deal, Keane and his agent don't want to do that."

Two weeks into the window, Lewis-Potter blinked first and extended his stay until 2023. It should be good news for both parties.

As well as causing unnecessary aggravation, the stand-off was exacerbated by Bristol City's decision to recall fellow winger Hakeeb Adelakun early from his loan. With Malik Wilks and Josh Magennis in particularly thriving on their returns to the third tier, Hull's forward line had been a real strength before Christmas, but now a gap is starting to appear.

Hull need to either kiss and make up with Lewis-Potter or move him on. There should be no shortage of suitors. If they do, they must learn from their monumental mistake this time last year with Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki and do so in enough time to properly reinvest a good chunk of the money in a replacement.

The Adelakun news disrupted McCann's plans to get his business done quickly and efficiently.

“We want to try and make us stronger,” he said before the recall. “We’ve got players lined up.

“I’ve had conversations with some of the targets, but it’s not as easy as just making a phonecall, there’s a lot that goes into bringing a player into your football club.

“We’re just hoping and praying we get our business done early. If not, we’ve got a good squad as we had a good summer.”

Summer signing Festus Arthur could be loaned out having failed to break into the side but youngster Brandon Fleming has said he wants to stay and fight for his place. It will not be easy.

Bad blood could have done more harm than a lack of transfers to this group of players, so to have removed that whilst adding to the group was very pleasing.

DONE DEALS – IN: Max Clark (Vitesse Arnhem, free); Dan Crowley (Birmingham City, loan); Gavin Whyte (Cardiff City, loan); Jordan Flores (unattached).

OUT: Dan Batty (Fleetwood Town, free); Jordan Hickey, David Milnkovic (both released); Martin Samuelsen (Aalborg, loan); Jordy de Wijs (QPR, loan); Jackson Irvine (Hibernian); Max Sheaf (Torquay United, loan).

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