Hull City failed in a bid to bring Stoke City striker Ryan Mmaee to the MKM Stadium on Transfer Deadline Day, according to TEAMtalk.
Despite an influx of new arrivals throughout the summer, the Tigers were active right until the final moments of the transfer window. Carl Rushworth, Kasey Palmer, Mohamed Belloumi and Abu Kamara were all brought in on Deadline Day, bringing the number of new signings to 15. It could have been 16 though, with Tim Walter reportedly keen on 26-year-old Mmaee.
The attacker only arrived at the bet365 Stadium last summer, although fell out of favour in February after Steven Schumacher stated he had failed to live up to standards in training. He did return to the squad in the latter stages of the campaign, eventually finishing with three goals in 24 Championship appearances.
The former Ferencvaros man made his first start of the season in the Carabao Cup against Middlesbrough last week, getting himself on the scoresheet in a 5-0 rout. This saw him retain his place in the team at the weekend in a 1-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle.
It could have been different though had the Potters accepted a bid from Hull last Friday. The interest is said to have come about after former Head of Recruitment Jared Dublin joined Hull last month after departing the Staffordshire-based club in May. Despite that, Stoke had no interest in strengthening a direct league rival and rejected the offer.
Mmaee does still appear to be on his way out of the club though. It is claimed that he is on the verge of a move to Austrian outfit SK Rapid Wien on a season-long loan. The deal would include an option to buy of £2 million, although Stoke have included a January recall option which would break the clause.
Any transfer would need to be completed before Thursday night, when the Austrian transfer window closes.
Writer’s View
Stoke’s stance on selling to Hull is understandable. Mmaee’s time at the bet365 Stadium hasn’t quite worked out, but he is capable of much more and they won’t have wanted to have seen him perform at a club in the same division. Still, it appears as if they are happy to cut their losses and accept his future lies elsewhere.
A loan move with a recall option is a sensible one. Should the Potters suffer an injury crisis or loss of form from their current attackers, they will know that they can draft the player back in and potentially save them from having to fork out in the January transfer window. However, if that isn’t necessary, they can boost their coffers next summer, with the £2 million fee a slight increase on the initial £1.75 million they paid for his services.
