Sellés sacked by City after five months in charge

OUT: Former head coach Rubén Sellés. Picture courtesy of Hull City

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Hull City are seeking their fourth manager in just 12 months after head coach Rubén Sellés was sacked after a disappointing season in which the Tigers only maintained their Championship status on goal difference.

Amid mounting speculation over the Spaniard’s future yesterday, the club confirmed his departure in a statement issued just after 8.30pm. It said: “Hull City can confirm we have parted company with head coach Rubén Sellés with immediate effect.

“The 41-year-old was appointed in December and guided the Tigers to Sky Bet Championship survival on goal difference on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

“Assistant head coach James Oliver-Pearce and first-team coach Tobias Loveland have also left the club.

“Following a thorough review of football operations after a challenging campaign, the club feels a change in leadership is necessary to move the team forward in line with our ambitions.

“We would like to thank Rubén, James and Tobias for their hard work and dedication during their time at the MKM Stadium and wish them well for their future careers.”

APPOINTMENT: Sellés with owner and chairman Acun Ilıcalı last December

There was no indication a successor has been lined up, or of who would take charge of first-team affairs in the interim.

Sellés was appointed from League One Reading last December, following the disastrous reign of the German Tim Walter, who was sacked a week earlier after nine games without a win.

Walter took the hot seat in July 2024, succeeding ex-Tiger Liam Rosenior, whose tenure was abruptly and controversially ended after guiding the club to a creditable seventh-placed finish in the 2023/24 season.

Rosenior, appointed head coach in November 2022, steered City away from relegation in his first campaign.

Rosenior’s predecessor, the Georgian Shota Arveladze, was owner and chairman Acun Ilıcalı’s first managerial appointment after he took over the club in January 2022.

Arveladze, who had never managed in England before, was sacked in September that year after four consecutive defeats and with the Tigers having slumped to 20th in the Championship table.