Prospective new Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı wants to bring former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze to the Tigers as their new manager once his takeover is approved, according to Turkish publication Fanatik.

Current Hull owner Assem Allam has entered into a period of exclusivity with a potential buyer, with that announcement coming days after it emerged from other Turkish reports that Ilıcalı was set to conclude a £30 million purchase of the East Riding of Yorkshire club, with a further £20 million on top of that if promotion to the Premier League occurs in the near future.

Ilıcalı first made his interest in the Tigers clear back in May but in recent weeks the rumours of his arrival have stepped up and it looks to finally be happening - and he also made it clear that he wanted Turkish players and a Turkish manager at the MKM Stadium.

But if Fanatik are to be believed then it is a Georgian who is being lined-up to replace Grant McCann, who has been in the job since 2019.

Arveladze was a prolific goalscorer in his playing days for the likes of Rangers and Ajax as well as his national team, and he also spent time in Turkey with Trabzonspor.

His first management roles were actually in Ilıcalı's home nation, taking on jobs at Kayserispor, Kasimpasa and former club Trabzonspor between 2010 and 2015 before going on to manage Maccabi Tel-Aviv of Israel and more recently Arveladze spent three years at Uzbeki outfit Pakhtakor Tashkent, where he had a 72.58 per cent win rate and won the Uzbekistani Super League twice.

The Verdict

This would certainly be an intriguing potential appointment - it's not a Turkish coach that Ilıcalı has claimed he wants but Arveladze certainly has strong links to the country.

It's almost a given that McCann will be replaced in the dugout, especially with the recent poor form of the club, and Arveladze certainly has an interesting and travelled career.

With a 51.45 per cent win rate throughout his career (via Wikipedia), it's clear to see that he knows how to win games but he's never managed in an English league before.

It would definitely be a risk of an appointment but he would no doubt be welcomed should he be Ilıcalı's choice at the end of the day.