Tigers appoint Sergej Jakirović as new head coach
‘ATTACKING PHILOSOPHY’: New Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirović. Picture credit: Slavko Midžor
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Hull City have appointed Sergej Jakirović as the club’s new head coach following the sacking of Rubén Sellés last month.
The 48-year-old Bosnian, who has never managed in England before, has signed a two-year deal at the MKM Stadium with a club option of a further year. He will join the Tigers after the club agreed a settlement with former club Kayserispor in Turkey.
City said Jakirović is “known for implementing an exciting and attacking philosophy” and that his teams average 1.84 goals per game and a win ratio of 58.9 per cent from 292 matches across four countries.
Marko Salatović, Marin Ivančić and Andjelo Roguljic are to also make the move from the Turkish Süper Lig outfit, strengthening Jakirović’s backroom team alongside Andy Dawson and Erbil Bozkurt.
Chairman Acun Ilıcalı said: “After a thorough and extensive recruitment process alongside Mustafa Yokes, Jared Dublin and Martin Hodge, we are delighted to secure the services of Sergej.
“We believe in the football that he will bring to the MKM Stadium for us and importantly, he has proven himself to be a winner throughout his career.
“My dream for our club has never changed from the first day I took over, and I believe in Sergej as we look forward to the 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship campaign together as one family.”
Appointed Kayserispor manager in January 2025, the club sat five points adrift in the Turkish Süper Lig relegation zone. Jakirović overturned the deficit as he recorded 29 points in 17 games, comfortably guiding the Kayseri-based club to safety, finishing 13th.
A former Bosnian international midfielder, he won two major honours as a player, the 2005/06 Bulgarian Cup and the 2006/07 Bulgarian Super Cup with CSKA Sofia, during a career that took him to Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria and Bulgaria.
Starting his managerial career at Sesvete in the Croatian Second Tier in June 2017, 18 wins in 36 games saw Jakirović progress to Croatian First Division outfit Gorica before later joining Slovenian PrvaLiga side Maribor.
Breaking a league record of 13 consecutive wins to secure the 2021/22 Bosnian Premier League title with Zrinjski Mostar, his first piece of silverware as a manager, the 48-year-old would later guide Croatian side Rijeka to UEFA Europa Conference League qualification after just half a season in charge, winning 10 of 19 games to secure a fourth placed finish.
The 2023/24 campaign saw Jakirović guide Dinamo Zagreb to their 13th and most recent league and cup double, winning their seventh successive Croatian League title and 17th Croatian Football Cup.
Jakirović is City’s fourth manager in little over a year following the reigns of Sellés, Tim Walter and ex-Tiger Liam Rosenior. Rosenior’s predecessor, the Georgian Shota Arveladze, was Ilıcalı’s first managerial appointment after taking over the club in January 2022.