Hull City 'progress' in manager search as Selles departs weeks after Pompey celebrations

Few could have expected what would follow when Hull City head coach Ruben Selles celebrated on the Fratton Park pitch after his side preserved their Championship status with a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth on the final day of the season.

The former Southampton and Reading boss took charge of the Tigers in December when he was named as successor to Tim Walter and was tasked with guiding his newly-inherited side away from the Championship relegation zone. Despite some notable wins against the likes of Sheffield United, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, Hull were still in danger of dropping into League One for the first time since 2021 when the travelled to Fratton Park earlier this month.

A 1-1 draw was enough to keep Selles’ side in the second tier - but the Tigers boss parted company with the club last week and owner Acun Ilicali revealed that a number of candidates are set to be interviewed to succeed the Spaniard at the MKM Stadium. The Hull Daily Mail have now reported Ilicali and the Tigers board will ‘ramp up their efforts’ to appoint a new head coach over the coming days and reveals there are ‘as many as five potential contenders’.

Former Newcastle United midfielder Emre Belozoglu has been linked with the role in recent days - although Ilicali confirmed the Turkish boss was ‘not in the front line’ to succeed Selles despite conceding he was one of the candidates.

He told BBC Radio Humberside: "Emre is not in the front line of our candidates. We have four plus one candidates for our manager's position. There are some from Europe, England, and Emre is one of them. He's one of the candidates; nothing more than that. He is not [in] front, just at the moment we will make interviews."

Swansea agree Wales deal

Swansea City have agreed a deal for one of Scottish football’s brightest prospects

The Daily Record have reported Kilmarnock Scotland Under-19 forward Bobby Wales will join the Swans on a free transfer when his current deal with the Scottish Premiership club comes to an end later this month. Wales was shortlisted for the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year award after impressing throughout the season and reportedly captured the attention of several clubs as he approached the end of his contract.

The report claimed a compensation worth around £300,000 has been agreed between the two clubs and Wales has agreed to join the Swans as he ‘eyes up first team football’ with the Championship club.

Speaking about his future earlier this season, Wales said: "We've had chats, of course we have, because someone out contract is in demand. We have frequent conversations, maybe once a week even, but it's just with where we are in the table, is that what we want to be talking about? We do speak about it very frequently, but we're trying our best on the pitch and that is kind of back of the mind at times, but it's down to just how busy we are and how the game can go."

When asked if he saw himself staying, the forward added: "Yeah, because everyone knows I'm a Kilmarnock fan and I'm a local boy. It would be hard to go, but you need to wait and see what happens."

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