News of Hull City's impending takeover was confirmed on New Year's Eve - live on Turkish TV by prospective owner Acun Ilicali.
The news was confirmed on O Ses Türkiye (The Voice in Turkey) on Friday night, sending the Championship club’s Instagram account into meltdown as fans look forward to a fresh start.
The Tigers are hoping that a new fanbase can be attracted due to the takeover by Ilicali - a popular media personality in his homeland who has been christened by some as the 'Turkish Simon Cowell'.
He had hoped to see the deal with the current Hull owners, the Allam family, completed before Christmas but negotiations could not be thrashed out in sufficient time.
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It is not the first time that Ilicali has spoken about his impending takeover of the East Yorkshire club.
Back in November, on the same TV show, he said: “The love I saw in the city makes me very happy.
“The fans are waiting for us. We also look forward to it. The fans are very happy that we will buy the team. We want to achieve success together with the fans."
The Turk then went on to speak about the famous Hull City colours, saying: “The colours of the club are not orange and black. It is amber and black. You should not confuse this."
Those comments will be especially pertinent given the Allams' previous controversial attempt to re-brand the club as Hull Tigers.
According to the Hull Daily Mail , sources close to the deal indicate an approval from the EFL could be forthcoming over the weekend, effectively bringing the Allam family's turbulent 11-year tenure in charge to an end.
The report adds that those involved with the process are confident of securing control of the club in time for next weekend's FA Cup third-round tie against Everton.
Hull welcome the Premier League side to the MKM Stadium on Saturday, January 8 and it is said to be a match the 52-year-old Ilicali hopes to be in attendance for.
Hull were involved in the only Championship clash on New Year's Day, when they travelled to Blackpool.
The Tigers lost 1-0 at Bloomfield Road with Gary Madine's first half penalty the only goal of the game.
It was City's first game in a fortnight after seeing festive fixtures against both Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United called off due to a string of Covid cases.
They were hit by as many as 20 positive coronavirus cases in the build-up to Christmas.
Today's result means City remain four points above the relegation zone at the halfway point.
