Championship owner confirms Newcastle United Tyne-Wear derby hero an option for job
A former Newcastle United midfielder is said to be amongst the candidates to take charge at a Championship club.
The owner of Championship club Hull City has confirmed a former Newcastle United midfielder is a potential option as he looks to appoint a new manager in the near future.
The Tigers preserved their second tier status with a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth on the final day of the season - but parted company with head coach Ruben Selles last week as owner Acun Ilicali looks to move on from a surprisingly challenging campaign that started with high hopes over a push for the play-offs. The likes of Plymouth Argyle boss Miron Muslic, former West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray and Tom Cleverley, who was sacked at Watford last week, have all been named as possible successors to the Spaniard.
However, former Magpies midfielder Emre Belozoglu has also been suggested as a possible target for Ilicali and the Tigers boss has revealed he has spoken to the man who scored a stunning free-kick in Newcastle’s 3-2 home win against Tyne-Wear derby rivals Sunderland in October 2005. The former Turkey international joined the Magpies during the summer of 2005 and went on to score six goals in 60 appearances before departing for Fenerbahce two years later. The 44-year-old has managerial experience with Istanbul Basaksehir and Ankaragücü and is currently in charge of Antalyaspor, who he led to a twelfth placed finish in the Turkish Super Lig this season.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, Tigers owner Ilicali confirmed he had held talks with the former Magpies midfielder - but revealed other candidates from England and Greece were in the frame to succeed Ruben Selles just weeks after he helped the club preserve their Championship status.
He said: "Emre is not in the front line of our candidates. We have four plus one candidates for our manager's position. There are some from Europe, England, and Emre is one of them. He's one of the candidates; nothing more than that. He is not [in] front, just at the moment we will make interviews." Of the decision to part company with former Southampton boss Selles, Ilicali added: "The main reason, if you ask me, our target was never to stay in the league. We have to be a team, together, and everybody has to trust each other. And if we don't have the full trust of our future, I don't think it can last."
However, the Hull Daily Mail have given an update on the Tigers search for a successor for Selles and confirmed the MKM Stadium hierarchy will hold further talks with potential candidates this week as they ‘ramp up their efforts’ and have revealed there is ‘a desire to complete the process sooner rather than later’. The report also reveals two of the managers already interviewed have experience in the Championship and rubbished speculation former Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng and Will Still have shown interest in the role.