WITH the arrival of Michael Dawson, Hull City fans are wondering if any defenders will be heading for the door to pastures new.
Paul McShane might be thinking where does his future lie, as will the manager's son Alex Bruce.
A couple of years ago, McShane would have been near the top of the list of players heading for the exit.
But Steve Bruce has turned the Irishman into a dependable defender.
Gone are the days when City fans turned up expecting and seeing McShane make a howler.
Now he is a solid and reliable defender who deserves to be playing in the Premier League.
He may not be an automatic selection to start every week, but he is the type of defender you want on the bench knowing he will come on and do a solid job.
Bruce deserves credit for his transformation, but a lot of it has to do with McShane himself.
He has worked hard on his game to make sure he got rid of the label of being a reliable mistake maker.
McShane is one of those characters you want in the club.
He's infectious with his effervescent approach.
He's good for morale and he is willing to listen to his manager, who was one of the best central defenders of his generation.
Another player who we are seeing a vast improvement in is midfielder Stephen Quinn.
A few weeks ago, he was on the way out of the club, now he is a key part of the team. Again, he may not be first choice, but he has shown when he has been involved this season, he can be relied on to help the team go forward.
He is one of many assets City now have within their squad.
Last season there may have been a few, but now pretty much every member of the squad can be sold on for a profit, if the club so choose.
The injury to Robert Snodgrass has helped Quinn's cause and he is playing with a point to prove that he doesn't want to drop back down to the Championship.
Nobody does, and City are benefiting from that right now.
Michael Dawson will be worth the waitIT may have taken a while, but the signing of Michael Dawson is a fantastic piece of business by Steve Bruce and Hull City.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender has been on Bruce's wish list for some time and he will be an excellent addition for the Tigers.
It's another sign that City are moving in the right direction and Dawson is a player who will definitely make the Tigers a better team.
He will make City even stronger at the back, not that the defence was leaking goals.
He is a former England international who is composed and reads the game very well, having played at the top level for many years.
With any new signing, you ask if he is better than what is already at the club, and he is.
He's strong in the air and chips in with a few goals throughout the season too.
He is a leader and the more of them you have on the pitch the easier it makes things for Bruce on the sidelines.
Also, when someone comes in, it means the future of other players are cast in doubt.
Alex Bruce, who was mentioned as a player going to Blackburn as part of the now dead deal to bring Jordan Rhodes to City, may fall down the playing pecking order.
With just five days left in the transfer window, I still expect City to sign a striker or two and maybe a midfielder.
I expect Dawson to come straight into the side for the trip to Aston Villa. He's too good to keep on the bench
Settling into a new squad is much easier these days than when it was when I was playing.
When I signed for Plymouth, there were so many cliques, I knew immediately they didn't want me there.
Now, teams know any new signings will improve their team so it's in their best interest to make them welcome.
Dawson will know former Spurs midfielder Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone, and no doubt his brother Andy will have said good things about the Tigers.
