Nobel Mendy (foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Premier League newcomers Hull City have spent around €38m on Nobel Mendy and Lucas Herrington, with Mendy becoming the most expensive signing in club history.
Spremljajte Nogomanio kot prednostni vir na Googlu
Dodajte Nogomanio med priljubjene vire v Google News in
prejemajte najpomembnejše nogometne novice med prvimi.
Hull City are wasting no time after returning to the Premier League. The club, led by Sergej Jakirović, has strengthened its defence with two expensive signings in the space of only a few hours.
Hull have spent approximately €38 million on Nobel Mendy and Lucas Herrington, underlining owner Acun Ilicali's determination to build a squad capable of staying in the English top flight.
The first arrival was Mendy, a 21-year-old Senegalese defender from Rayo Vallecano. Hull will pay approximately €23.5m for him, making the youngster the most expensive signing in the club's history.
Remarkably, Hull have broken their transfer record for the second time in only a week. The previous record was set when they paid Olympiacos around €23.3m for goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.
Rayo Vallecano have also secured a 12.5 percent share of Mendy's next transfer. Part of Hull's initial payment will go to Betis, who are reportedly entitled to 20 percent of the basic transfer fee under a previous agreement.
Mendy developed as a footballer in France before moving to Spain. He struggled to establish himself at Real Betis, but his career took off at Rayo Vallecano, where his performances eventually earned him a move to the Premier League.
The Senegalese defender primarily operates at centre-back but is also capable of playing in a wider defensive role. Jakirović reportedly views him as one of the foundations of Hull's new defensive unit.
Only a few hours after announcing Mendy, Hull presented another young defender. Lucas Herrington, an 18-year-old Australian, has joined from Colorado in a deal worth approximately €14.8m.
His former club could receive another €5m in bonuses and has also secured 15 percent of the profit from any future transfer.
Herrington introduced himself to a wider international audience at the recent 2026 World Cup, where he represented Australia. He was one of the players who missed a penalty in the round-of-16 defeat against Egypt, but his performances throughout the tournament attracted plenty of attention.
Hull's spending spree shows how seriously the club is approaching life back in the Premier League. Ilicali has already provided Jakirović with significant reinforcements ahead of the new season.
Among the players who have arrived are Tzolakis, Jens Hjert-Dahl, Jack Butland, Elliot Stroud, Matt Targett and Hidemasa Morita. At the same time, former Maribor midfielder Oscar Zambrano has also joined the squad.
The message from Hull is clear. After earning promotion, the club does not intend to enter the Premier League merely hoping to survive. With another €38m spent in a single day and their transfer record broken twice within a week, Ilicali is giving Jakirović significant backing for the challenge ahead.