Hull City: £2m deal that felt a bargain now at risk of becoming Tim Walter flop | OneFootball

Abdus Omur hasn't quite lived up to expectation for Hull City so far this season

The year 2024 has ended up being one of frustration as far as Hull City are concerned.

10 months ago, the Tigers were in the thick of a battle to reach the Championship play-offs for the first time since 2016, which would supplement the well-documented ambitions set out by owner, Acun Ilicali.

Ever since the Turkish businessman took over from the Allam family in January 2022, the club's transfer policy has seen them go in much more of a continental direction, with numerous players coming to the MKM Stadium with links to Ilicali's home country, either as a compatriot or by plying their trade in the Turkish Süper Lig.

Abdus Omur is one name who falls into said category, and despite being a largely unknown quantity to City supporters at the time of his move from Trabzonspor in January, the playmaker wasted no time in showcasing why his services were targeted by then head coach, Liam Rosenior.

And, despite the fact Rosenior would be replaced by current boss Tim Walter in early June, there was an expectation that Omur would build on his steady start to life in the English game and assert himself as a key figure this season.

But, for one reason or another, it hasn't exactly panned out that way in the first three months of the campaign.

Abdus Omur initially proved that £2m transfer fee was a bargain

Hull's links to Turkey has seen the club have varying success in the transfer market, with Ozan Tufan being the most obvious example of a success story in that regard, having notched a tally of 20 goal contributions across just two seasons in East Yorkshire, whilst on the flipside, Dogukan Sinik still remains an enigma to City fans despite still being on the club's books.

Based off the first four months of his career in Black and Amber, it would have been easy to assume that Omur would follow in the footsteps of Tufan, and perhaps become an even more successful signing, given the minimal £2m fee which saw him swap Istanbul for HU3, just two seasons after winning the title and registering 11 goal contributions in the process.

In a limited sample size of just 16 appearances and 11 starts last season, Omur was able to give a taste of what many expected to come, having taken little time to adjust to the physicality and the rigours of second tier football.

Having been given license to roam under Rosenior, whilst the 25-year-old had missed two big chances in the infancy of his spell with the club, there was next-to-no evidence that Omur was a source of frustration at a time when inconsistency came to the fore for Hull, as Omur was always looking to make things happen - echoed by an accumulation of two assists and the creation of two further big chances.

Abdus Omur's output must improve for the remainder of this season

As previously mentioned, there was hope that the 14-time international would step up and become an integral part of a successful season for the Tigers after the change in the dugout.

However, fast-forward to the present, and both individually and collectively, that spark is yet to ignite for Hull and Omur, who has had very, very minimal impact on Walter's side when it comes to creativity and end product.

In 13 appearances and nine starts under the German, Omur has averaged 59 minutes per game, which gives the Turk ample time to impact an encounter.

But, despite missing the same number of big chances thus far, just 32 touches per game shows how very little impact he is having on this front, proven by a tally of zero goal contributions.

The encounter against West Brom saw the midfielder provide the occasional glimpse once more, and it could have been a different story if Regan Slater was able to convert his enticing cross early in the second half to level the contest.

Regardless, Omur, alongside many of his teammates, have left many City fans feeling underwhelmed when it comes to their overall performance levels in the first 15 games of the 2024/25 season, and they will hope for a swift change in those fortunes starting against Luton Town on Saturday.