Leonid Slutsky: Hull City appoint former Russia boss as head coach

Leonid Slutsky left CSKA Moscow in December 2016

Championship club Hull City have appointed former Russia boss Leonid Slutsky as their new head coach.

Previous Tigers boss Marco Silva left to take over at Watford after Hull were relegated from the Premier League in May.

Slutsky won three Russian titles with CSKA Moscow and managed the national side at Euro 2016.

He recently told BBC World Service he had been learning English for the past five months.

Slutsky, who is friends with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, will arrive in East Yorkshire next week and is Hull City's fourth boss in less than a year.

The 46-year-old told the club website: "I am delighted to become the head coach of Hull City and I am very much looking forward to the challenge of guiding the club back to the Premier League.

"I already know that this is an important club with a big and loyal fanbase, I've had a good feeling about it ever since meeting the Allam family and I can't wait to get started."

Hull vice-chairman Ehab Allam said Slutsky's "attention to detail, thoughts on playing style and his ambition made him the stand-out candidate" for the role.

Analysis

BBC Radio Humberside sport editor Matt Dean

This looks a real coup for Hull City and the mood in the city around his appointment is one of excitement.

The buzz stems from Slutsky's pedigree, having most recently managed Russia and CSKA Moscow, where he won three titles and managed in the Champions League.

It is a bold move by the club's owners but it is seen as less of a risk given that the Allams have demonstrated fairly sound judgement with their previous appointments.

Slutsky has never managed outside his homeland and English football has never before had a Russian boss, but his admission of having studied English football from the Premier League to League One demonstrates his desire to succeed in England.

On the surface he appears a very different character to Marco Silva, but his appetite for success looks comparable.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is a close personal friend and that link could open up some intriguing avenues for recruiting players as the club looks to mount a serious challenge to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.