Hull City Owner Focused on Staying Up in the Premier League

Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı says his first goal is to keep the club in the Premier League this season. After that, he wants to build the club into a strong presence in the top league.

Ilıcalı spoke to Sky Sports News in a video on Saturday. He mentioned that his ambitions for Hull have grown since he took over. Initially, he aimed for a top-10 finish, and then the team earned promotion to the Premier League.

“Yeah, first of all, step by step. I said to our fans when I came to the club, I said I want to go step by step. First, top 10 was my target.

“Actually, we missed three points in the play-offs in my second year. So my target was top 10 and after that play-off push, then we went to play-offs, then Premier League.

“Now, the only thing I’m trying to do with the team is to stay in the Premier League for this year,” Ilıcalı said.

Ilıcalı believes that if the team can stay in the league this year, he can then work on a long-term plan to make Hull a well-known Premier League club.

“If we can stay in the Premier League this year, hopefully, then I will want to make a brand,” he said.

The Turkish businessman admires the way some other clubs approach football. He mentioned Brentford and Brighton as teams he looks up to.

“There are two, three teams that I really like their approach to football. Brentford, their sporting director is fantastic, by the way.

“Apart from that, Brighton. These teams, I think, managed to be a brand in the Premier League for a long time,” he said.

Hull is back in the Premier League this season after moving up from the Championship. So far, they have started the season without losing a match.

PUNCH Online reports that before Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Hull had already taken seven points from their first three games. This includes a 2-0 victory over Manchester United and a win against Championship winners Coventry City.

The draw with Chelsea brought Hull’s total to eight points from four matches, after a 0-0 draw in matchweek three against Villa.