Udinese defender Molla Wague has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Hull City. On a season long loan deal with Leicester City, the 26-year-old had a torrid start to his Premier League career, owing to a dislocated shoulder on debut. Wague’s season never really took off following the injury and the defender has returned to Italy since.
The Mali international had to be substituted 67 minutes into his debut following a tackle by Millwall striker Steve Morison and pointed to the bench immediately.
Wague, originally under contract at Granada FC hasn’t turned out for his parent club yet and was loaned out to sister club Udinese. A former France youth international featuring for their under-19 side, the 26-year-old eventually switched allegiance to feature for his native country, Mali. He was part of the Mali side that participated in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations held in South Africa.
Originally a centre-back, Molla Wague can operate on the right flank as well. Standing at 6ft 4in, the Malian goes in favourites to win most aerial duels and is also a threat in set-piece situations. His superiority in intercepting and weeding out threats in the final third and propensity to commit to tackles were the attributes that especially caught Ranieri’s eye. In the wake of N’Golo Kante moving to Chelsea, a fit Wague might have changed the fate of the Italian manager’s doomed title defence.
Even though the 26-year-old missed the last campaign in its entirety owing to his unfortunate injury, incoming Hull City boss Leonid Slutsky clearly has faith in the player’s attributes and is interested in enlisting Wague’s help on his way to winning The Tigers promotion next season.
Hull City lost 24-year-old defender Harry Maguire to The Foxes in the ongoing transfer window after they were relegated last season and are set to face a tough time attracting top talent to a Championship side. But they have money to spend in the window having sold Maguire in a £17m deal. Maguire shone pretty brightly in an unflattering Hull side last season and was rewarded with a move to Craig Shakespeare’s side, who seems to have made quite the impression on the player.
“It’s obviously a very exciting time for myself,” Maguire said. “Once I had my eyes on this club, I always wanted to join. Thankfully I’m here so I can’t wait to get the season started and kick on.
“There were a number of clubs interested, but when I met the manager here he pretty much swayed it into the direction of this club. He showed me the way that the club is going. It’s on the up and it looks very promising for the future, so credit to the gaffer.”
Former CSKA Moscow manager Leonid Slutsky has taken over from outgoing boss Marco Silva who has taken charge at Watford following Hull City’s relegation.
“I am delighted to become the head coach of Hull City and I am very much looking forward to the challenge of guiding the club back to the Premier League,” said the Russian. “I already know this is an important club with a big and loyal fanbase.
“I’ve had a good feeling about it ever since meeting the Allam family [the owners] and I can’t wait to get started next week.”
The 46-year-old Russian left the Moscow club after guiding them to three Russian Premier League titles. He also managed the Russian national side in the Euro 2016 but failed to go past the group stage.
Slutsky has his eyes set on earning promotion for The Tigers as his journey in English football begins.
