Our daily blog with the latest news, transfer rumours and gossip about Hull City in the Premier League.
HULL City are chasing the signature of Sunderland midfielder David Vaughan, according to reports in the Daily Mail today.
City boss Steve Bruce signed the Welshman for the Black Cats back in 2011, and it seems he may be keen to reunite at the KC.
Vaughan, 30, appears to be the latest victim of the Paolo di Canio revolution at the Stadium of Light, and he is reportedly available for £1 million.
Signing the 5ft 7in bustling midfielder would provide further options for a City squad already significantly strengthened by the arrivals of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore last week. But City fans will probably wonder if he really is any better than what's already available.
Should City strike a deal for Vaughan, it would take their total summer spending to £13.8 million.
According to an article - complete with snazzy graphic, in The Guardian, here that would equate to the 11th highest transfer budget, so far, in the division.
When you consider that City have signed 10 players already, that total figure seems to represent great value for money - even if it is more than David Moyes has spent at Manchester United!
Compare it for instance with fellow newly-promoted club Cardiff City. They have brought in five players so far, but their total spend is a hefty £28.7 million. Only Man City, Spurs and Chelsea have spent more than the Bluebirds.
City appeared to have learned their lesson from their last time in the top flight, by making shrewd signings that will have sell-on value should the club go down. Are Cardiff going about things the right way by splashing the cash on big name players? It remains to be seen.
It is also worth noting that City have spent more this summer than Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle combined. Of course, you'd expect those sides to be active between now and the end of the window, but it really highlights how far City have come in recent years.
So has Bruce spent wisely? Let us know what you think.August 20
Hull City are moving for French under-21 striker Paul-Georges Ntep de Madiba, the Daily Mail says today.
Steve Bruce sent scouts to watch the Auxerre man at the weekend, according to reports.
Despite securing ten signings this summer, Bruce has admitted he would like at least one more.
Ntep de Madiba, scored nine goals in 19 appearances last season, can play as a striker or attacking midfielder, and would cost in the region of £1.5m.
He already has two goals this season and featured for the under-21s as recently as last week.
Auxerre currently play in the French Ligue 2 but have a long record of developing top-class talent. Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc and Djibril Cissé are among the famous names who started their careers at the club. Arsenal's Bacary Sagna is another graduate.Huddlestone wants to be Hull City's first England man
City's record signing Tom Huddlestone is hoping to force himself back into the England set-up, the Daily Star reports.
His last appearance for the Three Lions came back in November against Sweden.
Should Huddlestone feature again for Roy Hodgson's side, he would become the first player ever to represent the senior England side while playing for the Tigers.
He said: "When I got back in the Tottenham team last season I played six or seven games and the England manager put me back in his squad.
"So if I can play regularly for Hull, do well and help the team do well, then I don't see why it can't happen again."Tigers buck trend for English starters
One league Hull City seem to be flying in is the proportion of Englishmen playing for top flight clubs.
A gloomy Guardian reports today that the opening weekend of the Premier League marked an all time low in terms of the number of English players beginning games at the start of a season.
Incredibly, two-thirds of starters were foreign nationals at the weekend, with just 74 English players in first elevens (33.6 per cent).
Compare that to August 1992, when 177 players, or 73.1 per cent, held English nationality.
City, however, are one of the clubs with an admirable number of home-grown players.
A quick look at the team shows six of the starting 11 were English (54 per cent) and 11 of the 18-man squad (61 per cent). Add George Boyd (remember he's officially a Scot now) and Allan McGregor and you have a squad that's 72 per cent British.
The Guardian argues the lack of Englishmen across the rest of the league highlights the problem Roy Hodgson faces when trying to put together a competitive England squad.
And it points out England now trails Spain's La Liga, Germany Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue One by some distance when it comes to showcasing indigenous talent.We'll stay up, say nine out of ten fans
A massive 92 per cent of Tigers supporters say their team will stay up this season.
We asked where Hull City would finish in the Premier League - and more than 1,400 people replied.
Only eight per cent say Bruce's side will finish in the bottom three. Instead, a majority of fans reckon City can finish between 13th and 16th.
Meanwhile, only four per cent of fans say defeat to Chelsea has dampened their optimism for the season ahead. Most supporters - 52 per cent - say they are more optimistic after the 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, with 44 per cent feeling about the same.Poll results:Top half: .... 3.5%10th-12th: ... 3%13th-16th: ... 57%17th: ........ 28%18th: ........ 3.5%19th: ........ 3%20th: ........ 2%City 'outpassed' Chelsea
The reason for that optimism? City's second-half performance at Chelsea and the impact of Huddlestone and Jake Livermore.
While City were overrun in the first half at Stamford Bridge, analysis by Squawka.com shows they completed more passes than their star-studded opponents in the second half (216 to 181).
Most pundits acknowledge the Blues eased off after a stellar first half-hour - but the stats are encouraging nevertheless.
