"Daylight robbery" - Hull City verdict issued on £2.5m transfer compared to N'Golo Kante | OneFootball

FLW's Hull City fan pundit has given his verdict on midfielder Eliot Matazo's start to life at the MKM Stadium after his January arrival.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It was a busy January transfer window for Hull City as new manager Ruben Selles stamped his mark on the squad.

After Hull's decision to replace Liam Rosenior with Tim Walter in the summer backfired spectacularly, Selles made the move from League One side Reading to take over at the MKM Stadium in December, and he was tasked with leading the club to Championship survival.

In a desperate attempt to salvage their season, the Tigers were incredibly active in the January transfer window, bringing in eight new signings, while a host of players headed out of the exit door, and the loans of Carl Rushworth and Chris Bedia were terminated early.

One of Hull's more eye-catching deals of the window saw Eliot Matazo join the club from French giants Monaco for an initial fee in the region of £2 million, potentially rising to around £2.5 million, and the midfielder has made an impressive start to life in East Yorkshire, scoring one goal in six appearances so far.

Matazo was named Player of the Match after his outstanding display in the 1-0 win at Sunderland on Saturday, but he was forced off after just 20 minutes of the 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City on Tuesday night with a knee injury, and he will be assessed over the coming days.

Hull City fan pundit makes Eliot Matazo transfer fee claim

When asked if the fee paid for Matazo represented a bargain, FLW's Hull City fan pundit Ryan Frankish said it was daylight robbery that the club had landed the 23-year-old for as little as £2 million, and he admitted that he is worth more than double that price.

"Hull City could have paid £5 million for Eliot Matazo and it would still have been daylight robbery," Ryan said.

"I haven't seen legs like that since I watched N'Golo Kante's performance for Chelsea against Man City in the Champions League final in 2021.

"He puts himself everywhere.

"The midfield Sunderland have is apparently meant to be the best up-and-coming midfield in the English leagues, but he dealt with every single one of them on his own, and Steven Alzate and Matt Crooks were there just to pick up the pieces.

"It was just amazing.

"The fact that we've got him for £2 million is crazy.

"In today's market, say he was English and we got him from League One, you'd be easily looking at £5 million for the sort of quality that he's got.

"We're also forgetting that he made 49 appearances for a team as big as Monaco, and on top of that, he's got Champions League calibre.

"In a nutshell, daylight robbery is a perfect way to sum it up."

Eliot Matazo has been a rare Hull City transfer success

Hull owner Acun Ilicali has certainly been willing to spend big this season, but the club's recruitment has been disastrous.

The Tigers have made a staggering total of 25 signings during the summer and January transfer windows, and in truth, few of those additions can be considered a success at this point, but Matazo is one player who has impressed since arriving at the MKM Stadium.

Having featured in the French top flight and Champions League for Monaco, Matazo has added plenty of quality to Hull's midfield, but supporters will be anxiously awaiting further updates on his injury after he limped off in the early stages of the defeat at Cardiff in midweek.