Jozy Altidore is heading to Hull City.
Altidore has confirmed the one-year loan move, offering this nugget on his Twitter feed: "First match is against chelsea subject to a work permit."
Yes, Hull City plays Chelsea in its season opener on Aug. 15th. As for the work permit, Altidore does not automatically qualify for a UK work permit based on his current percentage of matches played, but considering the number of U.S. national team games he has played in his appeal should stand a good chance of being accepted.
Hull is preparing to introduce two new signings on Thursday, just a day after Altidore visited Hull City to negotiate a one-year loan deal. Altidore noted that a press conference was scheduled to announce his signing on Thursday.
Altidore will look to fill the void at striker left by Hull's failed bid to sign Fulham striker Bobby Zamora.
What do you think of Altidore joining Hull? Worried about him joining a team in danger of relegation, or do you think it's more important that he gets playing time and gains experience ahead of the 2010 World Cup?
Share your thoughts below.
1) This is a totally awesome move. Everton and Fulham would both have been much harder to get playing time for Jozy.
2) EPL is not the best league? You must be joking. Spain has 2 great teams… try putting number 3-10 against the same EPL squads and they are going to get their ass handed to them. Same down the line. It’s the same deal with Italy and Germany/France don’t even rate.
3) Why does everyone seem to hate Phil Brown?
Best case scenario. Altidore needs to learn and improve on what Hull will offer.
Increased work rate and endeavor. And use of strength and speed to get on the end of passes and finnish.. become a scrapper with skill. In La Liga he’d stand around more and work on his back heel passes.
I think it is , generally, a good move. Villareal still looks to keep him, which is good as making THAT team is a real fight and has a surplus of strikers. Hull has not had the luck of finding the amount of quality players it will need to stay up.
The situation in Hull means he will probably get A LOT of playing time, but not a lot of wins and likely relegation. Still, if he scores 7 or more goals in the Premier League, look to him coming back to Villareal or being sold in excess of the $10 mil the spanish side paid for him. It is a smart move for Villareal. I am sure they placed him in a club that will struggle but will afford a significant amount of playing time as opposed to the Xerxes fiasco. If he does well his value goes up, if not, his potential and youth will afford him more “loan” spells.
At 19 you can still presume he is in his “apprenticeship” years and doing your apprenticeship in the Premier League can only be good for the future!
Even though I’m happy for Jozy and I think anywhere he goes he’s going to only get better, I wouldn’t think the English premier league was the best fit for him. I would have liked to see him go to another team in Spain where he will learn the game more, or see him go to the Dutch league to get plenty of scoring and games under his belt. I know some of you are saying I must be crazy but lets remember that Ronaldo first started in the Dutch league before going on to be the best player in the world at Barcelona!!
Hull?? What is Hull??
Fulham V. Hull Monday Oct 19, ROAD TRIP
Last year Jozy barely played for Villareal and played zero for Xerez and still looked great for the USA. This year the number one concern is going to a team that will give him some minutes so that he can keep his fitness up and be in shape come WC 2010.
Concerns about playing style, manager’s personality, quality of the team, quality of the league, even Jozy’s ability to develop are all secondary. Hopefully this move takes care of the primary concern and works out ok on some of the secondary factors.
I didn’t see a lot of them last season. Looking at their roster seems Hull have a lot of guys who are old or injured. I thought Bullard was fantastic with Fulham, especially late in the season before last, but wonder if he is ready to start this season. Their goalie, the American-born Welsh international Boaz Myhill, is rated pretty highly. Isn’t the Brazilian Geovanni pretty good also?
Sucks hes going to HACKmirship where hell get hacked often.
would have been better if he could have stayed in Spain
Wasn’t Hull entertaining to watch and somewhat competitive last year or was that Stoke that that I’m thinking of?
If Hull are at the foot of the table just wait and see how many fans and pundits blame Jozy for the lack of goals. Just wait.
Why is everyone even talking about Hull being relegated? Fulham almost got relegated two years in a row– back to back.
If it’s a one year deal why would we be worried that he’s joining a team in danger of relegation?
This makes a lot of sense, although Hull are not a very good side. He will play, it will toughen him up, and the speed of play will be good for him — as far as I’m concerned there is no downside to this move. Let’s see if he can PLAY in a good league. He is not a high workrate striker, but he is a poacher and he plays in bursts. That’s fine with Hull, where he’ll rarely get service anyway. This will make him better in the air and a better finisher.
Hull’s midfield is rather good and they create quite a few scoring chances. The perception of them being the worst team in the league is incorrect, a large part of their problems last year were the inability to finish chances created by their midfield. You all don’t think Jozy Altidore will play a major role in turning that futility in finishing around? He’s a forward, yes?
Hull’s Bull!
Anyone care to have a looksie at how many points Hull earned in the second half of last season? And what transfers have they brought in? Same coach out of his depth?
Barf.
Slightly off topic, but has anyone else seen this?
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Hospitality/MatchdayDining/McBrides.aspx
I had no idea the legend of Brian McBride is so large @ Fulham, enough to immortalize an American player with his own restaurant.
Why is everyone even talking about Hull being relegated? If I remember correctly, Fulham almost got relegated two years in a row.
It’s a loan. It’s the last year before the WC. He’ll play day in and day out against better opposition, and he’ll learn how to adjust to make his game better. Jozy’s going to have to work hard every game, and it’ll be good for him. And playing on Hull, he’s not going to be able to rely on his or his teammate’s talent.
Personally, I kind of think there is an elitist approach to club teams. It’s almost as if people think that players are incapable of becoming better if they don’t play for a G-14 club, or that it’s automatically better to be on a team with a better reputation, even if you don’t get on the field. Fact is, he spent a year on the bench at Xerez. He’s looking for playing time and match fitness.
He’ll probably be back at Villareal next season, but at least this move gets him ready for the World Cup.
I expect that Jozy won’t start right away but will eventually work himself into the starting lineup. Jozy seems to be a guy or scores big goals with every new challenge. He tore up the MLS immediately, then he scored big goals for the US Nats quickly after being added to the roster, then again at Confed. Cup against Spain. He fortunately seems to ignore the reality of the situation. He also is always just one burst away from a goal and over 90 min of regular play I thing we can expectt 5 – 10 goals from Jozy.
On another note, I would suspect that playing in England for Hull is better prep for playing for the US Nats because in both situations he will get very little service and be asked to contribute in ways other than scoring.
Go Jozy! You are a beast and will light up the premeirship!
Hull struggled and nearly fell apart last year after an impressive start. I don’t rate Phil Brown as a manager and rumor has it players hate playing for him. I’d have liked to see Jozy at Fulham or Everton. He’d play less, but he’d be around top quality players and respected managers in a stable environment.
When will Bob call in the team! one week till Azteca, i may pee myself
I like it! Language is not a factor. The teamsheet is not full of internationals that are going to get in his way or have some sort of favor with the manager (I think). the KC stadium is a great venue. If Bullard and Geovani are on the pitch with Jozy he will get chances to score in my opinion. And i think that a relegation battle would be great for his mental make up becuase even if they go down he will know what it feels like when games mean more than just a win. If they stay up then you have one of those experiences that you can look to when things are going tough. If they can hoover above the the drop zone a year in the EPL is just so valuable. A win/win for a young man.
BUT for all that to be good he must get PT. Super sub at first and starter by Boxing Day is a good goal I think. If he plays on a regular basis 8 to 12 goals are possible.
i think the most important thing is how jozy feels, according to his twitter account, he is pumped. congratus jozy and best of luck!
So, it’s a one year loan, and they’re in the Premiership this year, so what does it matter if they get relegated? Jozy still gets a ton of experience in a top flight league regardless of how the season goes for Hull.
@Felix
The difference between this and the Feilhaber nightmare is that, at 6.5M rated, Jozy comes in as Hull’s most expensive player. Feilhaber was nothing more than a project for Derby while Hull will be looking to Jozy to be a star.
For the record:
$11 million = almost 6.5 million GBP.
While I did say “almost double” their record signing (which was not correct) the point was valid. They offered 5 million GBP for Zamora. Are they in a position to spend 6.5 million GBP on Altidore? He’s worth it, but I’m not sold on him being sold at that price, nor am I sold on Hull spending it on him.
I misspoke about the numbers conversion, but my point remains. We’ll see tomorrow at the presser if it’s a loan or purchase. I strongly doubt Hull have splashed that cash, or that Villareal really want to sell him at this point.
playing time was essential. good move. He’ll also probably pick up a lot of experience playing in a lot of high-stress games where they are trying to grind out a point.
This is their 2nd season and all of the established teams already know how to deal with Hull. All they have is a bunch of over-achievers who play with alot of passion and intensity. Unfortunately to get 3 pts, you need more quality than just hustle and non-stop running. I forsee them getting no more than 15 pts by end of December, and thats with max points from teams like Bolton, Wolves, B’ham, Pompey & Burnley.
yay for jozy!
whether hull goes down or not is not the problem. The fact that Giovanni is the only player capable of providing him the ball and Phil Brown is the manager are the problems. This is terrible for his development. Yes there is also Bullard but he is just as injury prone as Rocisky. Giovanni will get shut down just like the second half of last season and Altidore will be isolated up front and that is definitley not the situation you want a 19 year old to be.
I’m afraid this is Feilhaber part 2. A good young Yank leaving a good, ambitious club in search of playing time and ends up going to a bad club who will soon find itself in the relegation trouble. The manager who brought him in will get fired and developing and playing “kids” will get tossed to the side in order to bring in “battle-tested veterans” to get them out of the drop zone.
That and the fact that despite Jozy’s promise, size and technical ability, he doesn’t have the work rate of a McBride, and we all know how much the English, especially the types of managers who coach sides like Hull, love their players with “industry” and “endeavor”.
Well he gets his chance to play in the premiership. Lets see if they can get him the ball now…
Why is everyone talking about Hull going down? As I remember Newcastle and Middlebrough went down last year. that means two more shite teams get to stay up this year.
Correct me if I’m wrong…doesn’t Man United play Chelsea for the community shield Sunday.Jozy for the Red Devils!!!!…just saying.
I am totally kidding
For a loan it’s a good move; a transfer it would have been bad…work permit will take a few weeks to a month…which is why I love having an English mom…no visa for me…:)
He will be in Miami on Sunday…Hull City will even agree that it;s a good game to play in…besides probally won’t have a work permit by then anyway…
It is a good move. Technical ability will come along as he plays against the best defenders in the best league in the world. The key of course is that he plays.
If he doesn’t get playing time I’m going to light a match and throw it in the general direction of Phil Brown’s soppy, greased mop of hair.
Here’s hoping he doesn’t come back wearing plaid hats and jumpers.
dollars are worth half
They were a weak squad at the end but their attack was rather potent in the first 1/3 of the season. Injuries and EPL defenses caught up to them later.
Geovanni is a middie btw.
Jozy,
Work hard. Learn. Score goals.
Why is it that nobody can spell Geovanni’s name properly? Can someone help me out here? Jesus.
Jozy is in the EPL on a squad that doesn’t have 10 strikers….verdict: GOOD!
He’ll most likely be smack in the middle of the pecking order, if not further up. Enough nay-saying, enough over-analysis, enough wishes that he was somewhere else…the kid is where he needs to be right now, let’s get it on.
The move offers tremendous benefits (likely playing time, good competition, every game is crucial). The relegation risk is there, but mostly irrelevant because it’s a one-year loan. They are a weak squad, but face it: he’s not likely to play very much on a strong EPL team, and even if his teammates would have been better at Fulham or Everton, there’s only so mucu learning you can do in training. The only real downside risk is a disastrous start for the club accompanied by panic by management, changes in the manager slot, etc. If the club implodes and has, say, one win its its first twelve EPL matches, all bets are off.
He better Sign and comeback start training for the Azteca game.
Glad it’s a loan and not a sale. I’d rather he play in Spain….
That said, I think he will make the most of it and I’m going with a dozen goals.
This is a great move for Jozy. Even if Hull do go down, it’s only a one year loan, and this season he’ll gain top-level experience…something he was unable to do at Villareal. I love to see so many Americans playing in the EPL!
Best of luck to Jozy!
Ives – could you ever do a post on the UK, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Swedish work permit rules? I’ve never understood how it works.
Danny – dollars are worth around double what a pound is worth. So 5 million pounds is a little under $10 million. Although, $11 million is a lot of money for a one year loan. I hope Hull attempts to buy him, as the EPL will develop his game more than La Liga.
Ives, where does Jozy rank among the top forwards in the world under 20 years of age? Top ten?
This was the move I hoped for, and I can’t wait to see him in those bumble-bee kits.
@Danny
That kind of money also means he’s expected to play (and perform) from the moment his toe touches a blade of grass.