Hull City: Ruben Selles is benefiting from summer transfer shortcoming | OneFootball

Joao Pedro has been in strong form of late for the Tigers

The Ruben Selles era at Hull City finally had lift-off on Saturday afternoon, as the Tigers defeated Swansea City 2-1 at the MKM Stadium.

Unquestionably, the style-of-play and performance levels have seen a major increase in the first trio of encounters under the Spaniard, compared to the numerous lacklustre outings under Tim Walter prior to his sacking on November 27th.

Selles has been able to galvanise the squad and has stated that in at least the first two home games of his tenure in East Yorkshire, the supporters were able to see a team with a restored identity, competitiveness and confidence, which was particularly evident in the attacking third against the Swans.

And, in a bizarre way, the new Hull boss has also been the beneficiary of Hull's previous shortcomings in the transfer window, as experienced striker, Joao Pedro, continued his fine individual form of late.

Throughout the previous transfer window, Hull endured a summer of mass change as numerous key figures under Liam Rosenior departed either for significant fees or the expiration of their loan deals or contracts.

Despite netting 68 goals last term, sourcing a clinical striker was a key issue for the Tigers.

Liam Delap was only able to find the net eight times as a result of a three-month absence, Aaron Connolly failed to score after December 22nd, Billy Sharp was unable to make an impact whatsoever, and Dutch loanee Noah Ohio scored three times in just eight appearances.

It was then made clear by the aforementioned Walter that Oscar Estupinan would be an influential figure this campaign.

But, despite netting a last-minute penalty on the opening day against Bristol City, the divisive Colombian was sold for a reported profit of just €1.2m to Mexican outfit, FC Juarez.

Estupinan was eventually replaced by Chris Bedia, who scored 17 goals in 36 games for both Union Berlin and FC Servette last term, as well as Mason Burstow, whose £2m transfer pointed towards the future alongside the acquisitions of Abu Kamara and Charlie Hughes.

However, it was evident just weeks into the season that Bedia was lacking in confidence, and Burstow, at just 21 years of age and coming off the back of a struggling campaign with Sunderland, weren't the sole answers to Hull's striking conundrum.

Whilst there were plenty of flaws to Walter's ill-fated tenure at the MKM, the German boss must be given a small amount of credit for the signing of one-time Italian international and experienced frontman, Joao Pedro on a free transfer.

And, after a tough introduction to the English game, which included just five touches across 64 minutes against Burnley in October, Pedro is giving the hierarchy and Selles plenty to think about when it comes to his short-term future.

Even throughout the aforementioned tough period, there were smatterings of evidence as to why the former Cagliari man had played at such a high standard earlier on in his career, and that was soon brought to life through his first goal for the club against Portsmouth on November 2nd.

The Brazilian-born forward's intelligence when it comes to bringing others into play, as well as his off-the-ball movement, perhaps doesn't get the credit it deserves through various statistics, but it has been an integral part in how Hull have started to become much more of a dynamic side and attacking threat in just a small sample size under their new head coach.

Despite only having 20 touches of the ball, Pedro showcased his poacher's instinct against Coventry City, which gave Hull a fortuitous lead at the CBS Arena.

And, after a first full week of training under Selles in a new variation of the 4-3-3 which was regularly deployed by Rosenior and Walter, the 32-year-old put in his strongest performance in Black and Amber this weekend.

Countless errors from within the Swansea backline allowed Pedro and the likes of Gustavo Puerta to act as thorns in the side of those at the back, who, in many cases, did well to keep the score at arms' length for the majority of the encounter, as Hull could've found themselves out-of-sight.

His 34th minute goal - regardless of a slight deflection from Ben Cabango - showcased yet another variation of finish in his locker, finding the time, space and composure to slot under Laurence Vigouroux and net in back-to-back games for the first time since April 2023, where he scored twice in three games for Fenerbahçe against Basaksehir and Istanbulspor.

The winning of four of ten ground duels and two successful dribbles out of three further highlighted Pedro's in-game nous, which allowed Puerta, Ryan Giles and either of Ryan Longman or the match-winner Burstow, to create a flurry of chances from central or wide positions.

Despite people potentially viewing the striker as being in the 'twilight' of his career, Pedro's recent purple patch will give Selles and Acun Ilicali plenty to think about in the months to come if such form continues, as Hull do have the option to extend his stay until 2027, which some would argue has already been merited.