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Hull City owner Acun Ilicali said the club does not plan to sign players from Türkiye, citing salary levels he described as incompatible with Premier League budgets.
Ilicali made the comments at a press conference in Istanbul ahead of the new Premier League season, alongside head coach Sergej Jakirovic and players Oli McBurnie and Lewie Coyle.
Ilicali said wages at Türkiye's four largest clubs have climbed to between €5 million ($5.76 million) and €7 million, figures he called disproportionate to player output.
He said, "A player earning 6 million euros should be scoring 25 to 30 goals a season, and those numbers do not apply in the Turkish league.'
He added that Hull City's transfer focus is on players aged 22 to 23, a group he said rarely moves to Türkiye except later in their careers for higher pay.
Ilicali also addressed what he described as a negative atmosphere surrounding Turkish football. He noted that pundits had predicted Hull City's relegation from the Championship last season before the club won promotion, and that similar predictions are being made again ahead of the Premier League campaign.
He said Hull City's projected competition revenue is close to 300 million euros, compared with roughly 1 billion euros for some rival clubs.
He said, "I am worn out by the negativity in Türkiye; leaving it felt like stepping out of an airless room." He said he hoped the mood around Turkish football would eventually shift toward a more positive outlook.
Hull City is planning to bring in 16 new players this season, according to Ilicali, following a squad profile set by Jakirovic.
The club is working with Eren Mert, the former chief scout of Trabzonspor, a club based in the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon. Ilicali also said Hull City is close to signing Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Colakis and is pursuing an unnamed player he described as a significant talent.
Jakirovic said the club's Premier League prospects depend on squad quality and team cohesion, adding that Hull City aims to collect at least 40 points this season. Defender Lewie Coyle, who is from Hull, said reaching the Premier League fulfilled a long-standing goal for the squad.
Forward Oli McBurnie said he expects Ilicali to set him a goal-scoring target for the season, after scoring an important goal during last season's promotion campaign.
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