How Hull City got back into the Premier League is almost hard to explain, but staying there would be an even bigger stretch.

SHARPSHOOTERS. No team in the Championship could better the Tigers for shooting accuracy, with 37 per cent of their attempts on target.

Hull City's 2025-26 season delivered one of the most remarkable promotions in Championship history – but it was also one of the most fortunate.

Ending up sixth and then winning the play-offs was an extraordinary feat. Hull had needed to escape the relegation zone on the final day of the previous season, and then had to operate under a summer embargo that limited them to loan deals and free transfers.

They uncovered an attacking bargain in both markets, with Joe Gelhardt and Oli McBurnie respectively. Players already at the club also stepped up to a different level. Under head coach Sergej Jakirovic – new both to Hull and to English football – the Tigers became a dangerous outfit, winning matches through their capacity to slice opponents open ruthlessly in isolated moments. But it is impossible to ignore that fortune also played a part in their rise.

Winning promotion despite conceding the joint-fourth-most goals in the division is one thing; doing so while posting comfortably the second-worst underlying defensive numbers is almost unheard of. On that basis, the current blueprint does not appear enough to keep them in the Premier League.

So although supporters are thrilled to be back among the elite, they are also realistic about what lies ahead. Hull are now able to pay transfer fees to bring players in, but recruitment will have to be smart. Then again, people said much the same about Sunderland, and they stayed up. Jakirovic has already shown he learns quickly – so could there be another surprise?

Sergej Jakirovic has almost always delivered, whether that meant coping with heavy expectations at Dinamo Zagreb or pulling Kayserispor away from danger. The Premier League is a very different challenge, but the Bosnian did adapt last season and switched to a less risky setup to defy expectations.

Hull took a calculated gamble by waiting for Las Palmas to be relegated in 2024-25, hoping that would allow them to sign Oli McBurnie.

They got their man, and the 30-year-old became Hull's attacking reference point. His 19 goals in all competitions were the highest tally by any Hull City player last season, and that haul included the winner in the play-off final.

The Scot's hold-up play will be crucial as the side adjusts to the physical demands of the English top flight.

CHAMPIONSHIP: 6th

FA CUP: Fourth Round

LEAGUE CUP: First Round

PLAY-OFF: Winners

While several players made major attacking contributions, Ivor Pandur, John Egan and Regan Slater were the ones who held things together defensively. Pandur made the most saves in the Championship, although he has since moved to Rangers.

Egan and Slater will still be central figures, having at times carried the defence and midfield almost by themselves when Charlie Hughes and Matt Crooks were unavailable.

“F**k them up, get into them!” – Hull averaged the most tackles per game in the Championship (17.8), with 14 players making more than two per 90 minutes. Given that they share their ground with rugby club Hull FC, their aggressive approach might work to their advantage on a rugged surface.

Ignore the stats if you want. Hull looked shaky by plenty of metrics last season and were warned by number-crunchers like us that their performances were unsustainable, only to prove that idea completely wrong. Hardly anyone is giving them a chance this season – and that siege mentality could become their greatest strength.

Last season was a massive surprise. We were under transfer restrictions, had a manager new to English football and had only stayed up on the final day the season before, but we built a team from frees and loans that had huge heart and plenty of quality too.

Our key player will be Oli McBurnie. From the moment he arrived last summer, he lifted standards and performed brilliantly. He sums up the spirit of the squad and it is vital that we do not lose that.

This season will be different because we have not had to deal with the killjoy that is VAR before.

The opposition player who grinds my gears is Gabriel Magalhaes, the big baby. He can dish it out but cannot take it.

The opposition player I'd love here is Rio Ngumoha. This kid is incredible. He is only 17, so if Liverpool want him to get a season of Premier League football under his belt, Hull City have done a good job looking after some of their top prospects in recent years.

Our biggest grudge match will be against Leeds. It will be our first meeting in the top flight – in our previous five Premier League seasons, Leeds were usually in League One or somewhere around there.

The fans' opinion of the gaffer is that Sergej Jakirovic is a legend. He arrived last summer with no experience in England, or in any leading European league, and has proved highly capable, both tactically and in the way he manages players.

We'll finish 17th.

AUGUST

22 Manchester United (H)

29 Coventry (A)

SEPTEMBER

5 Aston Villa (H)

12 Chelsea (A)

19 Newcastle (A)

OCTOBER

10 Everton (H)

17 Fulham (A)

24 Brentford (H)

31 Ipswich (H)

NOVEMBER

7 Arsenal (A)

21 Brighton (H)

28 Crystal Palace (A)

DECEMBER

2 Nottingham Forest (H)

5 Bournemouth (A)

12 Tottenham (H)

19 Manchester City (A)

26 Liverpool (H)

30 Leeds (H)

JANUARY

2 Sunderland (A)

6 Nottingham Forest (A)

16 Arsenal (H)

23 Ipswich (A)

30 Crystal Palace (H)

FEBRUARY

6 Brighton (A)

10 Sunderland (H)

20 Liverpool (A)

27 Manchester City (H)

MARCH

3 Leeds (A)

13 Aston Villa (A)

20 Chelsea (H)

APRIL

10 Manchester United (A)

17 Coventry (H)

24 Tottenham (A)

MAY

1 Bournemouth (H)

8 Everton (A)

15 Fulham (H)

23 Brentford (A)

30 Newcastle (H)

Hull City to win the Premier League title odds: 500/1

FourFourTwo verdict: Hull City to finish 20th.

The squad does not look strong enough for this level, and owner Acun Ilicali is ambitious but not ultra-wealthy by Premier League standards. Even if last season's poor performance data contains some noise, making the required improvement will be difficult.

This feature was written in June as part of FourFourTwo magazine's legendary Season Preview issue.