'I'm very careful' - Sergej Jakirovic sends crucial Hull City transfer message

Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has confirmed that Oscar Zambrano and Elliot Stroud will link up with the Tigers squad next week when they land in Slovenia.

City fly out for their two-week training camp on Monday morning, and Zambrano, who has been with Maribor since his 12-month doping ban ended, will meet the squad at their base at the Play Green resort as he looks to impress the Croatian during the course of pre-season.

Swedish wing-back Stroud is also set to arrive early next week, and Jakirovic expects more new arrivals as he looks to fill the gaps in his squad that have been vacated since their stunning Wembley victory back in May.

"Zambrano will join us on Monday," the Croatian boss told Hull Live. "I watched Maribor games, so we will see how he is, we will give him a chance. After pre-season, we will decide what we will do with him. This Swedish boy, we are waiting for him."

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City have been offered hundreds of players since winning promotion back to the Premier League, but key to any hope of survival in the top flight this season will be the strength of their dressing room.

Last term, the character, spirit and togetherness were their greatest assets, and that can sometimes be lost when you sign a host of players, so Jakirovic is keen to avoid that danger, and only bring in good characters that can add to what is already a special, close-knit group.

"What is very important, all players want to join us, which is good. Of course, it's the Premier League, so it's not easy to get a chance in the Premier League. You must have quality, and I hope there will be good signings for us," he continued.

"It must be very strong again, and this is something that I'm very careful about. I'm collecting the information as well, because I see you (the player) on Wyscout (scouting database), how you're playing, how you perform, but this hard work ethic, behaviour in the dressing room, behaviour on the pitch, also, you will have a competition - this is all very important information for me, and then I will choose the player."

It's expected that before City return to England on August 2, there will have been a flurry of arrivals, and Jakirovic says that's crucial to get them bedding in sooner rather than later.

"I hope as soon as possible because we don't have too much time. This is very, very important for us," he added when asked about the importance of having players arrive during the camp.

Hull Live will be the only English media with City during every step of their pre-season tour, and you can follow all our updates in print and online.

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