WE’RE CRAZY ABOUT KEANE
ARVELADZE HOPES CITY CAN KEEP LEWIS-POTTER
HULL City head coach Shota Arveladze admits he doesn’t know what will happen with Keane Lewispotter’s future this summer, but admits to being crazy about the 21-year-old, amid a raft of Premier League interest in the frontman.
Lewis-potter enjoyed a standout year for his hometown club, notching 12 goals plus a call up to the England Under-21 squad for the first time, and is wanted by Brentford and West Ham.
Brentford made bids last summer and in January, while West Ham boss David Moyes also wants to sign the youngster.
New City owner Acun Ilicali intends to offer Lewis-potter a new contract and significantly improved terms in a bid to tempt the club’s talisman to remain at the MKM, and fire the Tigers towards promotion, but the lure of Premier League football may prove too strong for him to resist.
Lewis-potter was credited with the equalising goal in an enthralling last few seconds of the final day draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday in what could have been his last game for City.
Arveladze says whatever happens during the transfer window will be done with the player’s best interests at heart.
“That’s the most difficult question you could ask me. I can only answer this way: The chairman wants him. The coach - crazy about him.” said Arveladze.
“There are some things in football where you just cannot say yes or no because it’s about him. It’s about his future, his development and the way he looks. We’ll try to offer him the best we can for his future.
“It’s about financial and it’s also about his progress. We know the level we’re at and we know the level of the Premier League, but we’ll try. He has two years on his contract and anyone who wants to make an offer will have to come to us and talk.”
City, meanwhile, are expected to announce details of their retained list in the not too distant future.
Having already confirmed that Tom Huddlestone will be released, doubts remain over the other seven players who see their deals expire next month.
Amid a summer of busy change at the MKM Stadium, the Tigers hope to bring in six or seven new additions to turn them into challengers at the other end of the table, and Arveladze says work is ongoing to make that happen.
“Every club looks at it at the end of the season and wants to make themselves better, we’re no different from that and we are working hard to do as much as we can,” he added.