Steve Bruce continued his summer shopping spree late last week by acquiring Yannick Sagbo from French club Evian. The Ivory Coast international arrives at the KC Stadium on a two-year contract for a reported fee of £3m and is the Tigers’ eighth signing of the close-season as Bruce bolsters his squad after a second place finish in last season’s Championship.
In an interview with the club’s official website, the 25-year-old – who is the half-brother of West Ham’s Guy Demel – went on the charm offensive as he spoke about his intentions for the season ahead:
“I can’t wait to get going, and I look forward to meeting my new team-mates this weekend. I want to show the coaches and the fans what I’m all about, but not just with my physical presence. I also hope that my mobility and technical skills can add to what is already a good footballing team. I was delighted when the call came through. I had a very good feeling from the manager, that he really wanted me to come to Hull. That feeling was mutual. I am excited to get started in the Premier League. It is a league that I’ve watched closely, and I know all about it. I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I aim to score many goals.”
The History
A product of the Monaco youth academy, Sagbo turned out 20 times for the club between 2009 and 2010 but failed to find the net once. Snapped up by then-second division French side Evian prior to the closure of the 2010/11 summer transfer window, his contribution of nine goals and five assists in 31 appearances helped his new club clinch promotion to Ligue 1.
Over a couple of campaigns in France’s top-flight, Sagbo’s scoring record has been respectable, if somewhat less than prolific – 16 goals and nine assists from 68 matches, though 15 of those appearances arrived off the bench. On the international stage, he has notched twice in five games for the Ivory Coast Under 23s and has featured once for the Elephants’ senior side.
The Prospects
With Hull expected to retain their 3-5-2 formation for the season ahead, Sagbo is likely to be tasked with partnering Danny Graham up top, climbing ahead of the likes of Sone Aluko, George Boyd and Matty Fryatt in the pecking order. Bruce is desperate to increase the Tigers’ firepower after they notched a mere 61 goals in 46 games in the Championship last term – bearing in mind Hull have scored once in their last three pre-season games (courtesy of a converted spot-kick), their failings in attack are already obvious.
The Hull boss was quick to praise his new recruit, though, and suggested the addition of Sagbo will afford his side a more physical dimension up front:
“He is something different to what we have got. You look at (Christian) Benteke before he went to Aston Villa, he didn’t have a prolific goalscoring record but he had all the attributes to play in the Premier league. He is big, strong, powerful and quick, and our boy is a little bit like that too.”
Yet to be added to the Fantasy games, a price of around 5.0 seems the likeliest scenario for the Ivory Coast international – while Graham is the most expensive Hull forward option at 5.5, his initial cost was set as a Sunderland player.
Given their current toils in attack, it’s perhaps debatable as to whether many Fantasy managers will be eyeing up Hull as a viable source of attacking points, though their opening home schedule affords Bruce’s side a decent chance to make a mark, with Norwich, Cardiff, West Ham, Villa, Sunderland and Palace the first six visitors to the KC. Results in these games will surely be vital to their chances of beating the drop.
Indeed, pairing Sagbo with a Crystal Palace option would give you 11 kind looking home fixtures (NOR, SUN, CAR, SWA, WHM, AVL, FUL, SUN, CPL, WHM, CAR) in the opening 15 Gameweeks – an option for those considering a rotation partnership with Eagles forward Dwight Gayle (5.0) or winger Jerome Thomas, who comes in even cheaper at just 4.5 following his move from West Brom earlier in the summer.
