Is Wright the right man for the job at Tigers?
HULL City have set their sights on signing USA international forward Haji Wright this summer.
City are keen on bolstering their options in the forward line during the window and Wright has emerged as another target as Shota Arveladze looks to find the goals he hopes will fire the Tigers towards promotion when the new season gets underway.
The Tigers are already close to confirming the signing of former loanee Allahyar Sayyadmanesh from Fenerbahce, but are looking to also bolster their depth as well as quality at the top end of the pitch.
Wright, though, is another prolific forward who would add something different to City’s current attacking options and so with that in mind, here is a deeper look at what he could bring.
What has he done so far?
A former USA youth international, Wright began his career at New York Cosmos but did not take long to make the move to Europe as he joined Schalke.
Wright made just seven appearances for the German side’s first team, but was prolific at B team level as he netted 14 goals in 22 appearances.
After difficult spells at SV Sandhausen (loan) and Vvv-venlo (permanent), Wright then discovered his goal scoring touch when he made the switch to Sonderjyske.
He has scored 13 goals in 37 appearances for the Danish side but joined Antalyaspor on loan for the 2021-22 season.
After a relatively slow start in Turkey, come the final two months of the season Wright could not stop scoring. He netted nine goals and provided two assists in the last 10 games of the season to help Antalyaspor end the campaign 16 matches unbeaten and seventh in the table.
Wright also earned his first caps for the United States at the most recent international break, playing three of the four matches and scoring on debut off the bench in a 3-0 win over Morocco.
Why would City want him?
Wright’s form in the last few months at both club and international level suggests he has found his goal scoring touch in Europe.
City are in desperate need of at least one more prolific goal scorer at the top end of the pitch, with only Keane Lewis-potter hitting double figures last season.
In fact, no one else in the entire squad even got close; George Honeyman, Ryan Longman and Tom Eaves’ tallies of five were the next best.
At 6ft 4in, Wright is of a similar build to Eaves and after his release from the MKM Stadium last month, City are clearly keen on replacing him with someone of his mould, who has the potential to be more prolific.