Why Hull City should complete a loan move for Jack Marriott in January

According to The Athletic, Hull City have been linked with a January loan move for out-of-favour Derby County striker Jack Marriott, with manager Grant McCann keen to beef up his squad during the mid-season trading period to mount a surge for the playoffs.

McCann, who took over the reins from Nigel Adkins at the KCOM Stadium prior to the start of the campaign, signed Marriott from Luton Town back in the summer of 2017 during his managerial stint at Peterborough United.

Having bagged 33 goals in 56 appearances for Peterborough during the 2017-18 campaign, the 25-year-old Beverley-born striker subsequently earned himself a move to the second-tier with Derby County back in back in the summer of 2018.

Image result for jack marriott" — Jack Marriott has only played a bit-part role under Phillip Cocu at Derby County this season (Getty Images)

Marriott’s first season at Pride Park proved to be a success as he racked up 13 goals across all competitions to fire the Rams to the Championship playoff final under the stewardship of Frank Lampard.

However, the former Ipswich Town graduate has found himself in and out of the starting eleven in the Championship ever since Phillip Cocu took over the reins at Derby. Marriott has only played a bit-part role so far this season, starting 7 games and featuring as a substitute on 10 occasions.

The 25-year-old has scored only once for the Rams in all competitions this term and his limited involvement has now linked with him a reunion with McCann at Hull City ahead of the January transfer window.

The Tigers currently sit 13th in the standings, just 6 points adrift of the top-six, heading into the second half of the campaign, and the January transfer window couldn’t have come at a better time from McCann.

Jarrod Bowen, who currently tops the scoring charts at the KCOM Stadium with 15 goals to his name, has contributed hugely to the club’s overall tally of 37 goals in the Championship so far, whilst fellow wide player Grosicki has also chipped in with some significant goal contributions.

However, the Tigers need to sort out their issues up top when the transfer window reopens, with Tom Eaves and Josh Magennis sharing only 7 goals between them so far.

Magennis has often been unavailable due to injuries and suspensions, and with the fitness of Norbert Balogh also continuing to be a nagging issue for McCann, Hull City can certainly do with some additional cover in front of goal.

To put things into perspective, Jack Marriott looks like an excellent option for the Tigers during the mid-season trading period and the East Yorkshire outfit completing a loan deal for the Derby star could set them up nicely for a top-six finish in the coming months.

Verdict

Things might not have clicked for Marriott under Cocu at Pride Park but he has shown before that he has got what it takes to rack up goals on a consistent basis in the Championship.

Having previously reached great heights under McCann while playing at Peterborough, Marriott is not a stranger when it comes to working with the current Hull City boss, who will definitely be fancying his chances of extracting the best out of his former player at the KCOM Stadium.

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Suffice to say, Jack Marriott looks more than capable of adding that clinical edge to Hull City’s attack. His reunion with McCann could well be the difference between promotion glory and another hard slog in the Championship for the Tigers.