As Steve Bruce worked into the final hours of the summer transfer window last night, Hull City's ambitions to remain in the Premier League were made crystal clear. Not content with an outlay of £12.9m on 10 new arrivals following promotion out of the Championship, one last push was made to sharpen the Tigers' cutting edge on deadline day.
A £5m move for West Brom striker Shane Long would have been the icing on a gratifying cake for Bruce - until Baggies boss Steve Clarke broke fans' hearts with his last-minute U-turn. A season-long loan agreement for Egypt international Gedo at least meant City did not end deadline day empty handed.
Despite the disappointment over Long, the ambitious move underlined City's will to avoid an immediate return to the Championship. Without gambling the family jewels, the Tigers have transformed the squad that won promotion during Bruce's first season at the helm. Fourteen senior players out, eleven in.Although the wage bill has almost doubled over the last four months, City have worked hard to find value in an increasingly strained market. Until last night, only the £5.25m move for Tom Huddlestone from Spurs made more than a ripple on the national sports in a summer that has seen Cardiff, Swansea, Norwich and Southampton all spend twice that on one player.
Judge a transfer window in its entirety rather than its manic last hours and Bruce can be a satisfied man. Signing 11 new players represents a dramatic overhaul under any circumstances, albeit three (Ahmed Elmohamady, George Boyd and Gedo) had already been here on loan.
Of the 13 players to have started City's opening three Premier League games, seven played no part in the club's promotion. A ruthless broom has swept the old guard clean away and given City a far greater sense of belonging at the highest level.
Importantly, key areas across the side have been addressed. In signing Maynor Figuroa and Curtis Davies experience has been added to the defensive ranks, while Allan McGregor already appears every inch the recognised number one City have sought since Boaz Myhill's exit in 2010. Steve Harper, the wise old head from Newcastle, is there to land an experienced hand.
City's central midfield has also undergone a revolution. Signing Huddlestone for £5.25m and Jake Livermore on loan from Tottenham, the Tigers have added guile, presence and authority. With the continued presence of David Meyler, Stephen Quinn and Robert Koren also keeping meat on the bones, City's midfield has the type of strength in depth that would have been unthinkable last term.
So too their attack. Where promotion was won through the hard work of Jay Simpson, Gedo and Boyd, the arrival of Yannick Sagbo and Danny Graham has brought raw potential and a proven pedigree to the front line. That Bruce spent much of yesterday at City's Cottingham training ground with managing director Nick Thompson, club secretary Matt Wild and, trusted ally of owner Assem Allam, Peter Chapman, told a story of minor malcontent. With time still left, it was not a gathering for self-congratulation. There, at the club's nerve centre, the day had begun with little expectation of business. A loan move for Gedo and a deal for free agent Carlton Cole were mooted as possible contingency plans once the interest in Fulham's Hugo Rodallega and Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner were doomed to failure. The surprising news of Long's availability changed the course of the day midway through the afternoon and, alongside Al-Ahly's acceptance of a season-long loan deal for Gedo, set the stage for a dramatic finale to the window. In the end, City fans will be left with mixed emotions this morning after the hope, excitement and ultimate disappointment of the dying hours of the transfer window. But that should not detract from an astute summer at the KC. Bruce has assembled a side capable of competing in the Premier League. Just ask Manchester City.
• Hull City's summer signings in profile
Hull City's summer departuresIf the success of any transfer window is judged by retention as well as recruitment, Steve Bruce can afford to be content as he assesses the Hull City squad at his disposal for the remainder of 2013.
The squad that won promotion during his first season in charge may have been streamlined by the departure of a dozen senior players, but each one has been on Bruce's terms.
After eight first-team squad members were predictably released during the weeks that followed promotion in May, a raft of further players have been allowed to move on for the supposed good of their careers.
There is the prospect of a return for young goalkeeper Mark Oxley from his loan at Oldham Athletic, likewise midfielder Tom Cairney from his five-month stint at Blackburn Rovers and young left-back Conor Townsend who joined Carlisle on loan until Sept 29.
But Jack Hobbs' season-long loan move to Nottingham Forest means his time at the KC is over.
Corry Evans, meanwhile, recouped City a fee that could rise to £800,000 when following Cairney with a permanent switch to Ewood Park.
Those outgoings were met with varying degrees of disappointment amongst City supporters but, tellingly, few long for their returns.
Where Hobbs' exit was initially greeted with dismay, the form of summer signing Curtis Davies has begun to erase the departed defender from memory.
The same sentiment extends to Evans and Cairney. Bruce accepted supporters could fear he was losing his mind when sanctioning those deals a fortnight before the new season, but the arrival of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore has placed that business in context.
Late last night Cameron Stewart also departed on loan until January 2 to Championship side Charlton.
Aaron Mclean, who has been free to find a new club for the last six months, is on the exit list, while Nick Proschwitz also had no takers.
Matty Fryatt's future is also likely to be away from the KC Stadium before his contract expires at the end of the season. He was strongly linked with a move to Nottingham Forest yesterday and could leave when the Football League's emergency loan window opens next week.