Anthony Racioppi, Hull City’s custodian, has agreed to leave the club, ending a disappointing season in England.
The Swiss stopper will join the German Bundesliga.2 promotion-chasing FC Koln on loan, with the option to make the move permanent in the summer.
City signed the 26-year-old from Young Boys in the summer, sparking excitement among fans after his Champions League performance the previous season. But he found himself playing second fiddle to Ivor Pandur in the early weeks of the season, then slipping to third when the Tigers brought in Carl Rushworth on loan from Brighton.
Racioppi’s only appearance for the Tigers came in the EFL Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the first week of the season, where his error contributed to the opening goal at the MKM Stadium.
Racioppi, born in Geneva, was expected to return to the team after Rushworth’s surprising return to the South Coast. However, head coach Ruben Selles made it clear that the former Swiss Under-21 international needed to play games rather than be a backup, thus his move to Germany will provide him with that opportunity.
Though the experienced custodian signed a three-year contract with City in the summer, the club worked with Racioppi to help him secure a move to the Bundesliga’s second-placed team.2, equal on points with leaders Hamburg.
Racioppi’s impending departure marks the latest Tigers squad player to be moved on by Selles this month as he seeks to freshen up his team ahead of Monday’s 11 p.m deadline. Chris Bedia is going and is anticipated to join Racioppi’s former club, Young Boys, while Xavier Simons is also due to be loaned away, following Ryan Giles, Ryan Longman, Marvin Mehlem, and Will Jarvis, who have all left this month.
Meanwhile, the Tigers expect to learn whether their bid to sign Charlie Taylor from Southampton was successful within the next 24 hours, having negotiated terms with the Saints and held talks with the York-born left-back.
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