Hull City Break Transfer Record for Nobel Mendy
Hull City have ripped up their transfer history to land Senegal defender Nobel Mendy from Rayo Vallecano on a long-term deal.
The 21-year-old centre-back has signed a five-year contract with an option for a further year, becoming the club’s most expensive signing ever. Hull have not disclosed the fee, but confirmed it eclipses the £20m plus add-ons paid earlier this month for Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiacos.
Hull have broken their transfer record twice in the space of a few weeks.
The previous high, the £13m spent on Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason, had stood untouched since 2016.
Mendy arrives with a clear idea of what he wants to bring.
"I am very happy to be here and very proud to be here as well," the Senegal international said. "I am a very athletic player, and I am a defender at heart. I also really enjoy the game and coming out from the back cleanly and aggressively when needed.
"I have wanted to play in the Premier League since I was little, so it's a great challenge to face and I am ready for it."
Raised at Paris FC, Mendy’s rise has accelerated over the past two seasons in Spain. He scored twice in 28 games in his only La Liga campaign with Rayo Vallecano, where his final appearance came on one of European football’s biggest new stages – the Conference League final, a defeat by Crystal Palace.
The year before, he had already tasted that same showpiece with Real Betis, only to lose out to Chelsea. Two consecutive runs to a European final, two painful endings, but a clear sign of a defender comfortable in high-stakes football.
On the international scene, Mendy has just started to break through. His only cap for Senegal so far came in March against The Gambia, a first step into a national set-up packed with top-level defenders.
Now he walks into another challenge: a record signing, a new league, and a club that has just staked more money on him than on any player in its history. Hull have made their move. It is Mendy’s turn to show why.
