The news that Hull City fans did not want to hear was confirmed on Tuesday evening as homegrown forward Keane Lewis-Potter had his move to Premier League outfit Brentford confirmed.

The 21-year-old has been long linked with the Bees, ever since their promotion to the top flight last summer to be precise, but Thomas Frank had always failed in his pursuit of Lewis-Potter.

That is no longer the case though, as the youngster put pen-to-paper on a six-year contract at the Brentford Community Stadium, in a deal that is a record fee received by the Tigers - one which will rise to £20 million if add-ons are met, per The Athletic.

 

 

Lewis-Potter netted 12 times in the Championship last season as Hull retained their spot in the second tier for a second consecutive season, and despite stating earlier in the summer that he would not sell the winger even for £30 million, City owner Acun Ilicali agreed to let the academy graduate seek his Premier League dream.

Ilicali has now spoken out for the first time following Lewis-Potter's confirmed departure, telling the club website: "I wish Keane all the best with his future football career.

"We are going to pursue our dream and vision with our brave and our most talented players alongside our magnificent fans."

The Verdict

It will have been a tough decision for Lewis-Potter and the club on what to do, but at the end of the day he has chosen to seek out Premier League football.

The life of a footballer is a short career and if Lewis-Potter held off for one more year, then who knows what may have happened - he could have lost out his chance despite being relatively young.

Despite Ilicali's previous comments regarding the fee, £16 million up-front is hard for any Championship to turn down, and that's why the Turkish businessman has ultimately chosen to accept it.

That money will no doubt go back into the first-team though, with Lewis-Potter's replacement seemingly already on the way in Dogukan Sinik from Antalyaspor, so perhaps there's no need to fear as a Hull fan.