Hull fail to offload Bullard as Celtic switch collapses

The 31-year-old midfielder was expected to join the Scottish giants in a season-long switch but has had a change of heart after failing to agree personal terms.

It is understood Bullard, who earns 45,000 per week at the KC Stadium, wanted Celtic to pay an additional five-figure appearance-related bonus on top of his existing salary.

The collapse of the deal means City are facing the prospect of having to pay their club record signing around 2.3m in wages during the coming season.

To a club whose finances were in such a perilous state at the start of the summer that the players were asked to take a wage deferral, such an outlay has left fans worried about the possible implications for both the Tigers and manager Nigel Pearson's plans for the coming season.

However, head of football operations Pearson last night said: "It seems nothing can be taken for granted where Jimmy is required so, in that respect, as far as we were concerned he was always going to be included in the budget for this year.

"We would have been unwise to do anything else. It means the news Jimmy's move to Celtic seems to be off is not going to change too much."

Hull, who yesterday signed James Harper and Nolberto Solano on free transfers from Sheffield United and Leicester City respectively, were so keen to off-load Bullard that they had agreed to pay a proportion of the midfielder's wages while playing for Celtic.

Head of football operations Pearson added: "From his point of view, it needed to be financially attractive and it seems that was not the case.

"It is frustrating for everyone, not least because it has been allowed to drag on for the past four weeks before being resolved."

Bullard, who has three years remaining on his contract, joined Hull in January, 2009, for a club record 5m from Fulham but suffered a serious knee injury on his debut at West Ham United.

He was out for 10 months before returning in October last year as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat to his former club at Craven Cottage.

Four further starts followed before Bullard suffered a second serious setback when stretchered off against Aston Villa in December with another knee injury.

He returned in March but was a shadow of his former self as City slipped out of the Premier League.

A move to Glasgow seemed the best option for all parties with head of football operations Pearson revealing to the Yorkshire Post last month that a loan deal plus the departures of Geovanni and Daniel Cousin would help the club reduce the coming season's wage bill to the target figure of 15m.

However, now the proposed loan move is off, Pearson insists everyone has to look forward.

He said: "The situation now is that he will come back into the squad and be treated like everyone else. He is in decent shape and has to earn a place in the manager's team.

"There have been a couple of sniffs of interest from the Premier League but nothing concrete other than what was on the table from Celtic."

One player who does appear to be heading out of the East Riding is striker Kamel Ghilas.

The Algerian was signed by Phil Brown last summer and netted on his first start at home to Bolton Wanderers in August.

Ghilas soon fell out of favour, however, with his last appearance in a Tigers shirt coming as a substitute in January's 4-0 defeat at Manchester United. He is expected to seal a season-long loan move to a club in Turkey this week.

Pearson said: "Ghilas looks to be leaving, while there has been interest in Daniel Cousin. As for transfers in, both Nolberto Solano and James Harper are joining us."

Solano, who has signed a one-year deal with the Tigers, spent the second half of last season at Leicester where the 35-year-old made 11 appearances as the Foxes qualified for the play-offs.

Harper, meanwhile, played 34 league games for Sheffield United last term after joining the Blades from Reading.

Harper was on the verge of signing for Leicester last month before Nigel Pearson decided to leave the Walkers Stadium to take charge of Hull.

Blackpool will now begin their first Barclays Premier League campaign away after Wigan agreed to reverse the venue for their opening fixture.

It comes amid uncertainly Bloomfield Road might not be ready for the start of the new campaign on August 14.

Stockport County have appointed Paul Simpson as their new manager.