Ben Arfa features: Hull City's 5 biggest transfer flop signings from recent times | OneFootball

FLW looks at five times Hull City got it massively wrong in the transfer market

Hull City recently concluded their business in the summer transfer window.

New boss Tim Walter has overseen a high amount of player turnover in his first window in charge at the MKM Stadium, with 15 incomings and 20 outgoings in all, as he moulds the City squad into one which suits his high-pressing style-of-play after a slow start to the Championship season.

Of course, the German will be hoping to avoid any transfer mishaps in the short-term, which Hull, as every other club is prone to, have been guilty of over the years.

With that being said, Football League World has picked out five of City's biggest transfer flops since the year 2000.

Hatem Ben Arfa

There was an air of great expectation when Steve Bruce completed the loan signing of Hatem Ben Arfa from Newcastle United in the summer of 2014.

Just two-and-a-half years after his iconic St James' Park solo effort against Bolton Wanderers, the Frenchman found himself at the MKM Stadium hoping to aid the progression of a club that had recorded its most successful season the previous term, despite being dumped out of the UEFA Europa League prior to his Deadline Day arrival.

However, the fact that Ben Arfa is known for covering less ground than Allan McGregor in the last of his nine appearances - a 3-0 away defeat to Manchester United on 29th November 2014 - speaks volumes about the playmaker's attitude from his extremely short-lived spell, during which he was never on the winning side.

Ben Arfa's commitment to the cause was also called out by former City defender James Chester just months after his exit from the club in a season which ultimately ended in relegation back to the Championship.

“You could see why the gaffer brought him here. I'm not sure his attitude was to the level of everyone else. He could have used a bit of magic and scored us a goal but again, you just wanted to bang your head against a wall," Chester stated.

The now-retired midfielder then enjoyed spells with the likes of Nice, PSG and Rennes among others, before failing to find a club since his exit from Lille in May 2022.

Jimmy Bullard

Jimmy Bullard was City's club-record signing for a fee of £5m, as well as a reported £45,000 per-week contract after signing from Fulham.

However, despite his one iconic moment in Black and Amber, the charismatic midfielder failed to justify such prices, with the tone set on his debut against West Ham United, sustaining a knee injury after just 39 minutes.

Bullard returned to action in October 2009 and netted against West Ham prior to his penalty against Manchester City, which led to his well-documented celebration (pictured) at the Etihad Stadium, mimicking Phil Brown's on-pitch team-talk in the 5-1 defeat in December 2008.

However, the former Wigan man sustained yet another injury just weeks later, before being involved in a bust-up with cult hero Nick Barmby after City were hammered 5-1 at Goodison Park by Everton in March 2010.

His spell at the Tigers was summed up by missing a crucial penalty against Sunderland - a game which condemned the Tigers to relegation - before failing to depart for Celtic in the summer of 2010 amid Hull's crippling financial situation.

Despite sticking around and netting two goals in the second tier, Bullard joined Ipswich on loan in January 2011 and saved the Tigers a reported £320,000 in wages, before joining the Tractor Boys permanently six months down the line after the termination of his contract.

Tom Ince

At a time when Inter Milan were interested in pursuing his services, it seemed a real coup that Hull landedTom Ince in the summer of 2014 after a string of impressive seasons with Blackpool.

However, Ince would fail to make his mark in the Premier League, making just three starts, with his two goal contributions for the club coming in the form of an assist for Sone Aluko against AS Trencin in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers, as well as netting against West Brom in a dramatic EFL Cup exit.

However, the now-Watford man would spend a short loan period at Nottingham Forest, also failing to influence proceedings at the City Ground, before being recalled by the Tigers prior to the opening of the January window, where he would eventually cross the East Midlands divide and join Derby County on a temporary basis after making his final four appearances for City, while the club were ordered to eventually garner £2m for his initial move six months previous.

Ince would then, to Bruce's dismay, complete a £4.75m transfer to Pride Park after Hull's relegation and become an influential figure for the Rams, before moving on to Huddersfield, Stoke, Reading and now the Hornets.

Nick Proschwitz

Nick Proschwitz was the aforementioned Bruce's second signing in his tenure at the club, joining from SC Paderborn for £2.6m in June 2012.

However, it was a price tag the big German failed to justify, as he scored just five goals in 31 appearances in Hull's promotion-winning campaign, despite having an abundance of creative outlets surrounding him in the side, such as Robert Koren and Ahmed Elmohamady.

Proschwitz's most notable contribution was a 58th-minute equaliser in the promotion-clinching draw with Cardiff City, before going on to miss a penalty which would have sealed promotion, then all kinds of chaos ensued around the MKM amid developments involving Watford's encounter with Leeds United.

The 6"3 striker then scored his final two goals for City in the EFL Cup against Huddersfield Town, before a minor contribution in the run to the FA Cup Final, netting against Middlesbrough before representing the likes of Barnsley, Coventry City and Brentford prior to a return to mainland Europe.

David Milinkovic

Rounding off this quintet is French winger David Milinkovic, who signed from Genoa in July 2018 on a three-year deal under Nigel Adkins.

However, the man who impressed on loan at SPFL side Hearts with six goals in 22 games could only dream of emulating such form for the Tigers, only making eight Championship appearances under Adkins, before being frozen out by Grant McCann after his arrival in June 2019.

After four appearances in league and cup in August 2018, Milinkovic wouldn't feature again until January 2019, amid a series of questions over the winger's attitude, which saw him included in a matchday squad against Norwich City, before being withdrawn from the squad after arriving late to the MKM Stadium.