Former Rangers striker Georgian Shota Arveladze is set to replace Grant McCann as Hull manager this week.
Turkish TV tycoon Ilicali always intended to make Arveladze his boss once he had the keys to the MKM Stadium and Hull’s recent form appears not to have changed his decision, Daily Mail reports.
Arveladze was a favourite at Rangers during his playing days, scoring 57 goals in four seasons, in between spells at Ajax and AZ Alkmaar.
The former Georgia international retired in 2008 and then worked as assistant manager at AZ under Louis van Gaal, Ronald Koeman and Dick Advocaat.
Arveladze has since managed Kayserispor, Kasimpasa and Trabzonspor in Turkey and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
His last job was as boss of Pakhtakor Tashkent FK in Uzbekistan, where he left in 2020.
The appointment of the 48-year-old is a major gamble by Ilicali, who has so far received overwhelming support from fans after ending the unpopular 11-year reign of the Allam family.
McCann took charge of Hull in June 2019 and suffered relegation from the Championship in his first season before immediately leading the team back to the second tier by winning League One the following year.
He will leave the Tigers in 19th place in the Championship, 10 points clear of the relegation places.
