Hull City

Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur feels he "belongs" at Hull City and is not interested in leaving the Championship promotion challengers.

He was linked with a move away from MKM Stadium last summer and has been telling BBC Radio Humberside he did not want that sort of speculation in the January transfer window.

"I spoke to my agent and said he doesn't need to talk to me about football as I want to stay, be here for the team and see how far we can go," Pandur said.

"I know they need me. I feel good here so in the winter and even in the summer I didn't want to leave."

The 25-year-old joined Hull from Fortuna Sittard in January 2024 and will bring up 75 appearances for the club when they host Bristol City on Saturday (15:01 GMT).

"Then [in the summer] there was too much talk and my decision wasn't less clear than it is now, so I just talked straight and focused on football," he added.

"I know I am here, I don't want to go - you are not forced to go, this is where I belong. I feel it inside so I listened to my gut and that's where I want to be so it's easy."

Listen to more Hull City interviews and content on BBC Sounds.

Hull City's five-match unbeaten Championship run has taken them up to third place in the table, four points outside the automatic promotion places.

The Tigers will be without forward Yu Hirakawa for the visit of Bristol City as he will not be allowed to play against his parent club who themselves are four points short of the play-off places.

• Hull City have won just one of their past 15 league games against Bristol City (D6 L8), a 2-1 home win in July 2022.

• Following their 4-2 win in August, Bristol City are looking to do the league double over Hull for just the second time in the 21st century, the first coming in the 2019-20 campaign.

• Hull City have lost just one of their past 11 league games (W8 D2), with the Tigers' eight wins the most of any Championship side since the start of this run in December.

• No side have kept more clean sheets in the Championship than Bristol City this season (11). However, at the other end the Robins have failed to score in four of their past five games.

• No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than Hull's Oliver McBurnie (16 – 11 goals, 5 assists). It is also his second best return in an English league campaign, after 2018-19 (22 goals, 4 assists).

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic says his players "gave their all" in a 0-0 draw with Watford that ended a four-game winning run.

He told BBC Radio Humberside: "I think that we must be very, very satisfied with this point. It was a very difficult game for us. Watford were better on the ball.

"Without the ball they were very powerful. We struggled there. We tried to be compact.

"I am maybe more satisfied with the second half, but struggled with decisions (of players) in open play and on the counter-attack. Some decisions I cannot understand.

"I congratulate my boys because they gave their all. It's not easy, but sometimes we were not calm around the box, and we need more confidence."

Mike White
Sports editor, BBC Radio Humberside

Image source, Shutterstock

City did not need eleventh-hour drama or wheeling and dealing having completed their incoming business in advance of the weekend. And impressive business it appears to be with five new faces – three on-loan and two permanent.

Despite being under the constraints of the second of their two-window EFL transfer restriction sanctions, City were still able to bring in a mix of experience and younger, promising talent using free transfers and loan additions with what owner Acun Ilicali described as "doing our magic".

In Paddy McNair and Kieran Dowell, they have players who have experience at Premier League and Championship level, having both started out at top-flight clubs.

Yu Hirakawa was deemed surplus to requirements - and maybe not utilised in the right way - at Bristol City, but in his initial substitute appearances for the Tigers, the Japanese winger has already got fans clamouring to see what more he can offer when his first start comes along.

Lewis Koumas did not have the best of times whilst on-loan at Birmingham City this season but he made an immediate impact for Sergej Jakirovic's side at the weekend. His took his late winning goal at Blackburn Rovers well after only being on the field for about four minutes. It feels like the Liverpool attacker arrives in East Yorkshire with a bit of a point to prove.

And rounding off the new signings is Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer, who, like Koumas, had the chance to join City in the summer but opted for a temporary switch to West Bromwich Albion, which at the time felt understandably like a more lucrative option.

He is just recovered from a calf injury and has not played since November so I would imagine the club will be patient with him given they are a club who have incurred the wrath of the injury gods more than many other teams this season already.

The club also managed to move a couple of players on to free up the finances needed to make these deals happen and keep within PSR limits. Kasey Palmer went to Luton Town on loan, Brandon Williams had his contract paid up, and Tyrell Sellars-Fleming was loaned to nearby Grimsby Town.

Amid all of that, keeping the likes of highly rated defender Charlie Hughes and experienced centre-half John Egan, amid interest in both players during this window, might be the best bits of (non) business they were able to do for a team with genuine promotion aspirations.

Image source, Rex Features

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic believes his side's home match against Watford is still a "50-50 game" despite head coach Javi Gracia's recent departure.

Gracia, who was in his second spell at Vicarage Road, left the Hornets on Sunday following their 2-0 defeat by Swansea City.

"I can say it's classic Watford," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"I know a lot about Watford because Slaven Bilic was the coach there, so I know a lot of things, and OK, they are now in a bad moment, but there is quality.

"I watched the Swansea game, I watched the Blackpool game. They took just one point, but easily they could've taken four in those two games, so this is a 50-50 game.

"There is a lot of quality, a lot of young players, very big potential and we will see now."

Hull currently sit third in the table, on 53 points, and are five points off the automatic promotion places.

Image source, Getty Images

Today is the final chance of the season for your Championship team to do transfer business.

The window closes at 19:00 GMT, meaning teams - and fans - can avoid the usual late-night transfer scramble.

It has already been a busy window - for some teams anyway - but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

Hull City are aiming to keep up the pressure on their automatic promotion rivals Middlesbrough and Coventry City when they host Watford on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) at MKM Stadium.

The Tigers grinded out a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday to record their fourth straight win in the Championship. They now have 53 points and are only five off second (W16 D5 L8).

Watford on the other hand are in a sticky patch of form with the Hornets winless in four league games following their 0-2 loss to Swansea at Vicarage Road on the weekend.

• Hull City have won three of their last six home league meetings with Watford (D1 L2), but have failed to do so in both of the last two campaigns (1-2 in 2023-24, 1-1 in 2024-25).

• Watford have won their last two league games against Hull City, and could complete a league double over the Tigers for the first time since the 1988-89 campaign.

• Hull City have won eight of their 14 home league games this season (D2 L4), last winning nine times at home in a campaign in 2022-23 (5 in 2024-25, 8 in 2023-24).

• Watford are unbeaten in each of their last four Championship away matches (W2 D2), their best streak on the road since going seven without loss under Valérien Ismaël between December 2023 and January 2024.

• Oli McBurnie has scored seven goals in nine league appearances for Hull City at the MKM Stadium and he is one away from his 50th home goal in the top four tiers of English football (34 in Championship, 12 in Premier League, 3 in League Two).

Bettywyn Glover
5 Live reporter

Image source, Rex Features

Hull City's 1-0 win over a struggling Blackburn side made it four victories in a row and eight wins from their last 10 Championship games. It is a run that has propelled them up to third, just five points off the top two with a game in hand.

This might come as a bit of a surprise to some, but the Tigers have been pretty consistent this season. Only Coventry and Ipswich have scored more Championship goals and they have the division's second-highest points tally on the road. They have also had impressive wins away at Middlesbrough, Southampton and Preston.

There is momentum off the pitch too. January addition Lewis Koumas wasted no time in making an impression, scoring four minutes into his debut after arriving on loan from Liverpool. He has already proved he will be a welcome addition, along with fellow new arrivals Manchester United's Tom Collier and former Middlesbrough defender Paddy McNair.

The win over Blackburn was far from pretty. Hull struggled to create chances and could not find a way through, but promotion-chasing sides find a way to win and that's exactly what Hull did.

And with a game in hand on the top two, no-one should ignore the possibility of Hull City claiming a place in the automatic spots.

Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic praised his side's resilience and defensive organisation after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Blackburn.

In a tight affair at Ewood Park, new loan signing Lewis Koumas slid in the winner in the 81st minute to leave the Tigers tghird in the table.

Saturday's victory was Hull's 16th in the league and and they are now on a five-match winning streak in all competitions.

"I think this is our biggest advantage, that we can play good on the ball even when we are bad on the ball," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"Like today, we were not good on the ball. But this is also a very demanding, tough pitch. It's not easy, and Blackburn are fighting for every point.

"But we now have stability and have found balance in our team tactically. We defended the box very well because Blackburn are first in the league for number of crosses inside, which was very important.

"Maybe some decisions in the last third we could have found better options. But this is how players see the situation, and I don't have a joystick there."

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic is hopeful of completing the loan signings of midfielders Lewis Koumas from Liverpool and Manchester United's Toby Collyer.

Koumas, 20, has been recalled from his loan with Championship rivals Birmingham City and Jakirovic thinks he could even be involved in Saturday's match at Blackburn Rovers (15:00 GMT).

"I wanted to do it (Koumas) in the summer, he was my first option but unfortunately he chose Birmingham," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"He has a lot of potential as a young player with a lot of experience in this league for his age - 42 games for Stoke last season and this season with Birmingham."

Collyer, 22, was restricted to just 12 appearances during a spell with West Brom this season before being recalled by Manchester United at the start of January because of a calf muscle injury and Jakirovic is ready to be patient with him.

"It's always a gamble, every player can get injured but I'm optimistic and positive and I wanted Toby in the summer but he chose West Brom as he saw City had an embargo and a salary cap so you are trying to find a calm place to play," he added.

"He's changed his mind now, seen we're playing good football and seen he can improve himself here."

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City will have to cope without Matt Crooks during February because of a hamstring injury.

Tigers head coach Sergej Jakirovic confirmed to BBC Radio Humberside he will be without the influential midfielder for the next four weeks, starting with Saturday's Championship meeting against Blackburn.

The 30-year-old, who was an unused substitute in the victory over Swansea last weekend, has been managing the issue in recent weeks.

"We are not expecting him to come back until the end of February. It's a lot of games," said Jakirovic.

"He played some games on 70 or 80 per cent and I'm grateful for that.

"He's very valuable for us and I hope that soon he will be back on the pitch.

"It is a blow but what can you do?"

Image source, Opta

Relegation-battling Blackburn will aim for their first win in eight games when they welcome promotion-chasing Hull City to Ewood Park on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Rovers are a point adrift of safety in 22nd and have recorded just one victory in their past 13 games (D7 L5).

By contrast, the Tigers have won three on the bounce and seven of their past nine (D1 L1) as they sit fourth - five points off the automatic promotion places.

• Each of Blackburn's past three Championship wins against Hull have come away from home - they are winless in their previous three league games against the Tigers at Ewood Park (D1 L2), losing the past two.

• Hull are one of only two visiting teams with a 100% league record at Ewood Park since the start of the 2023-24 season (minimum two visits), along with Sheffield United (two wins in two games for both).

• Of the four teams Valerien Ismael has managed in the Championship, his win percentage (27.5%) and points-per-game ratio (1.1) with current club Blackburn are both his lowest.

• Hull have been ahead on the scoreboard for 38.9% of their total match time in the Championship this season - the highest percentage of any team (marginally ahead of Coventry, 38.8%).

• Oli McBurnie has scored 11 goals in 19 league appearances for Hull this term, with his minutes per goal ratio (125) being his best in a single Championship campaign in his career.

Hull City's Turkish striker Enis Destan, 23, is close to moving on loan to Belgian Pro League side Westerlo until the end of the season. (HLN - in Dutch), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.