Why Herbie Kane could be a real coup for Hull City in January

According to Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony on Twitter (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool academy prospect Herbie Kane could be set for a loan move to Hull City during the January transfer window. 

Liverpool are expected to open the door to allow the 21-year-old to depart Anfield on loan when the transfer window reopens next month and Hull City could be in pole position to offer the starlet a chance to continue his development with regular minutes in the Championship. (h/t Liverpool Echo)

Kane had been linked with a January loan move to Peterborough by Football Insider (h/t Liverpool Echo) but the club’s chairman has cooled down those rumours, insisting that Hull City would probably be more interested in signing him.

That certainly makes sense, given that the Tigers were linked with a move for Herbie Kane during the summer window when Grant McCann took over the reins from Nigel Adkins at the KCOM Stadium. (h/t Liverpool Echo)

The 21-year-old midfielder earned rave reviews for his performances under the stewardship of McCann while on loan at Doncaster Rovers last season, with the manager describing the youngster as ‘top-class’ during an interview with Hull Live in the summer.

The Bristol-born ace, who was one of the key cogs in McCann’s team at Doncaster last season, plundered 7 goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions to guide the club to the League One playoffs.   

Kane was eventually handed his senior professional debut for the Reds by manager Jurgen Klopp as a substitute in the 2-0 EFL Cup triumph over MK Dons back in September. 

However, with the reigning European champions already well-stocked in the midfield department, the academy graduate has been limited to only two first-team appearances in the Carabao Cup so far and that seems to have prompted Liverpool to change their stance over the midfielder’s future.

Meanwhile, Hull City currently sit 11th in the Championship standings, four points shy of the top-six after a decent first half of the season which has seen them accumulate 9 wins and 6 draws in 23 games.

The Tigers are very much within striking distance of the playoffs heading into the crucial second half of the campaign and the January window presents a good opportunity for McCann to make necessary additions to bolster his squad for a strong promotion surge in the coming months. 

While in bringing in an upgrade on the underwhelming strike duo of Josh Magennis and Tom Eaves should be high on the club’s agenda, the Tigers can also do with some fresh additions to their midfield ranks.  

The injury to Jon Toral has left Hull City short of cover in the creative midfield department, while former Liverpool man Kevin Stewart, who hasn’t featured since the 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough back in November, is also expected to be on the treatment table for a few more games. 

To put things into perspective, the Tigers need to sort out their midfield options when the transfer window reopens next month and a loan deal for Herbie Kane could prove to be a massive boost given the starlet’s previous exploits under McCann at Doncaster in League One last season. 

Verdict

The 20-year-old proved his worth as a useful creative outlet in the middle of the park with a good eye for goal during his loan spell in the third-tier and McCann’s knowledge of his skill set could go a long way towards helping the player make the step up to the Championship this term. 

With the likes of Toral and Stewart expected to be out of action for a few weeks due to injuries, Kane has the right blend of attributes and the versatility to play in multiple positions to provide McCann with some valuable cover in the middle.

Goals often make all the difference when the race for the playoffs goes down to the wire in the latter stages of the season and Kane could be the right man bring that spark to the Tigers’ midfield, given his impressive tally of goal contributions in League One last term. 

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With that in mind, Hull City completing a loan move for Herbie Kane in January would make perfect sense for a number of reasons.

(Note: This article was written before the Boxing Day fixtures)