The Tuesday Gossip Column - Tuesday, 13 May 2008

One of the more intriguing reports coming out of England this week is the shock £1m swoop for Fiorentina's veteran striker Christian Vieri by Hull City, as mentioned in amongst others, the Daily Mail. Hull are currently chasing promotion to the English Premier League and took a step closer to reaching the Championship play-off final last weekend with a 2-0 win away to Watford. Manager Phil Brown is chasing the much travelled Vieri to replace Jay-Jay Okocha who himself was a massive coup for club.

Will Vieri be at the KC stadium next season? Verdict:

Having played for 14 clubs in his career, first team football will be a high priority for the former Inter star, something that has been hard come by in recent seasons with unsuccessful spells at AC Milan, Monaco and Atalanta. He has had to work hard to get his career back on track with his appearances for Fiorentina, but with his contract up at the end of season and La Viola strongly placed to qualify for the Champions League, their investment for a stronger European squad may limit Vieri's chances at the Stadio Artemio Franchi next season. So it may be time be time for Vieri to move on; Phil Brown has reportedly been interested in signing him at the start of this season but any possiblities of a move materialising this summer has to depend on Hull winning the promotion to the Premier League, and even then Hull may not be the right for Vieri.

Vieri would a massive signing for Hull and could have a great impact as the club fight to stay up. He could do a similar job as Christophe Dugarry did for Birmingham a few seasons back, however I can't see it being more than pure speculation following Hull's win at the weekend. It would be a costly move for Hull too, who certainly need to invest in more than one player should they go up and there are probably better options than Vieri for Hull City, and indeed Hull City for Vieri.

Puds