ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - JULY 04: English football club Hull Cityâs chair Acun Ilicali, head coach Liam Rosenior and player Liam Delap attend a news conference prior to the friendly matches of the team against Galatasaray and Hatayspor as part of âCorendon Summer Tour 2023â, at Riva Hasan Dogan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 04, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Goalkeeper arrival deserves Hull City chance amid understandable scepticism
The Tigers are on the verge of ending their summer-long goalkeeper search
Hull City are bringing in goalkeeper Ryan Allsop from Cardiff City on a permanent deal ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline, but it’s safe to say the move hasn’t proved universally popular just yet.
The reaction of opposition fans is often used as a good barometer of how well-liked a player is at their respective club, and in the case of Allsop, news of his impending move to the MKM Stadium has largely been welcomed by those who follow the Bluebirds
That flurry of comments has generated concern amongst some City supporters, who have been somewhat underwhelmed by the news which emerged on Saturday morning.
Allsop played 43 times last season for a Cardiff side that struggled to put points on the board, indeed, the Bluebirds were beaten twice by a Tigers side who found wins of their own hard enough to come by, so it is perhaps unsurprising fans are a little unsure.
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The 31-year-old was Cardiff’s number one when new manager Erol Bulut arrived, but the Turkish boss decided to go in a different direction, instead bringing in Alex Runarsson from Arsenal and persevering with Jak Alnwick.
Allsop has almost 350 career appearances to his name across the Championship, League One, Two and even a couple in the Premier League, so arrives at the club with vast experience, and is still relatively young in goalkeeper terms.
Finding a goalkeeper of a required standard is not easy and comes with significant cost. Allsop is a competent Championship goalkeeper, rated highly by Liam Rosenior, and fits into his group well, so for a relatively low outlay, it’s a deal that makes sense.
Rosenior will feel he can improve Allsop, and so too, will having him around improve Matt Ingram, who, is almost being forgotten in this discussion, and remains respected as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league, by his fellow professionals, and those that know what they’re talking about.
The City boss would have seen Allsop’s abilities on a daily basis when the pair shared the Moor Farm training ground on the outskirts of Derby, and he spoke glowingly of him after City’s 1-0 win over the Bluebirds last season.
In many ways, City made a rod for their own back last season when they brought in a goalkeeper of Karl Darlow’s calibre and it was unlikely they were going to find similar this time round, particularly one that would fit into their budget requirements, the bar was set extremely high.
Taking a youngster from the Premier League was an option, but again, is not without risks, while other permanent and temporary moves were looked at and were not possible for a myriad of reasons.
Matej Kovar was one option from Manchester United and so, too, was Tom Heaton until the Old Trafford landscape changed and made both of those moves difficult.
There will be some signings that grab the attention, and then there are others that slip under the radar and happen with little fanfare, and in the case of Allsop, his is a low-risk deal that gives Rosenior something he’s wanted all summer, competition, and trust.
