Hull City In Talks To Sign Highly-Rated Premier League Defender Hull City are in talks with Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion to take youngster James Furlong on loan for the remainder of the season, according to Hull Live.
Furlong will be one of many Brighton players to sign new contracts before going on loan, following in the footsteps of Marc Leonard, who joined Northampton Town, and Jeremy Sarmiento, who joined West Bromwich Albion.
The Dublin-born fullback spent the second half of last season on loan at Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership before signing a new two-year contract when he returned to the AMEX Stadium this summer.
The 21-year-old will move to the MKM Stadium for the duration of the season, according to Hull Live, and a deal will be finalized before tonight’s 11 p.m. transfer deadline.
Sporting Clube de Portugal fullback Ruben Vinagre was loaned to the Tigers earlier in the summer window, but the Portuguese defender is presently out with an injury, prompting head coach Liam Rosenior to employ center-back Jacob Greaves as cover for the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man.
Hull City put former Brighton defender George Cox on trial during pre-season but decided not to sign him, according to Hull Live.
Furlong appears to have been brought in to provide much-needed depth on the left side of the defense in Vinagre’s absence, and the Irishman could find himself in the first-team sooner than expected.
Author’s Opinion
Furlong is a superb fullback who will provide severe competition to Ruben Vinagre when the Portugueseman returns from injury.
The transfer is excellent for the Irishman, but it will either sink or swim considering the disparity in quality between the Championship and the Scottish Premiership, or even at U21 level.
