The Tigers announced the signing of former Newcastle United defender Matt Targett on Thursday morning as he joins Jack Butland and Oscar Zambrano in new arrivals at the club.
Hull are preparing for a relegation fight, and Illicali is ready to splash the cash the club were awarded for promotion in what will be a busy month for the club, who return to the Premier League for the first time in nearly a decade.
Offering hints to Hull fans on Thursday afternoon, just hours after the arrival of Targett, whom Illicali convinced to sign for the club via a phone call, the Turkish owner teased who may be announced very soon.
Laying out the club’s transfer ambitions, he handed fans a guessing game with some clues through nationalities.
“Dear Hull City family, we are reading dozens of false transfer rumours in many places.
“We are disturbed by the claims that we have been rejected and by the use of our club's name to gain attention. We have been working intensively for two months. I believe we will build a team that we will all be proud of. To prevent false speculation and to give you more information, I am leaving you with our latest transfer situation, which includes some clues.”
Reports have tried to link players to the flags, with Olympiakos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis being tipped as the Greek player whilst the Croatian is Marco Pasalic from Orlando City. The Japanese player is set to be Hidemasa Morita, who reports state will sign from Sporting Lisbon today.
Fans have tried to use AI to predict who the other players may be, but for now it is guesswork, leaving fans discussing who the next name may be. Illicali is very honest about transfer business, a rarity in football, let alone the Premier League.