‘Score goals like Haaland’: Hull boss Jakirović backs Dinamo’s 17-goal striker for Man City, and names the Croatians he still wants

Sergej Jakirović thinks Dion Drena Beljo could play for Hull City, but the Tigers’ head coach believes the Dinamo Zagreb striker would be better off at a club like Manchester City, where he could score goals “like Haaland”.

The Hull boss was speaking to Sportske Novosti about his former club, and he did not hold back on the 24-year-old who has been scoring for fun in Croatia. He also opened up on the two Croatian targets he missed out on in the summer, and the obstacles he still faces in bringing players from the region to the Premier League in January.

Beljo’s numbers explain why he is being talked about in England. He scored 38 goals and added four assists in 44 games in his first season at Dinamo, and has 17 goals and eight assists in 18 matches so far this term. He is also expected to lead the line against Sunderland in the Europa League on Thursday night.

What did Jakirović say about Beljo?

Asked whether Dinamo’s best player could cope in the Premier League, Sergej Jakirović said: “Beljo scores goals, which he also showed against Spain. He can react brilliantly. Let’s not underestimate his goals in the SHNL. Every goal is very important. His club should be dominant. Now, you ask me if he could play for Hull City, so he could play for Hull, of course, but he would have to work a lot harder to reach the final.”

When it was put to him that he was saying the Croatia international would suit Manchester City better than the Tigers, he did not back away from it: “Of course. There are better players there, very high quality, so I don’t see why Beljo shouldn’t score goals like Haaland. Not now, so that it doesn’t come across as me saying that he is better, but if you create enough chances for him, he has shown that he can score goals.”

There is no concrete report of City interest, so this is a former Dinamo coach talking up a player he clearly rates rather than a hint about a deal. Reports in Croatia last week said Everton want Dion Drena Beljo, and that he could leave in January if Dinamo Zagreb receive a tempting offer.

Dion Drena Beljo stats at Dinamo Zagreb

That is 55 goals in 62 games since he arrived at Maksimir. Dinamo are in a rough patch, having parted company with their coach at the weekend, as we set out in our Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb preview, but their No.9 has kept scoring regardless.

Which Croatians does Jakirović want at Hull?

The Hull boss confirmed he wanted Orlando City’s Marco Pašalić in the summer, and also missed out on Franjo Ivanović, the Benfica striker now on loan at RC Lens. He still wants a national team player from Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, partly because that makes a work permit far easier.

“I really wanted Marco Pašalić and Franjo Ivanović. I still want to bring a player who is a Croatian national team player or a Bosnian national team player. In that case you have the basic conditions to be able to get a work permit,” he said.

He went on to name more candidates: “Fruk was also mentioned, earlier in the Championship and Pukštaš, as well as Stojković, Radeljić and Galešić. All of these are players who are potential candidates. Time will tell how they will cope, but there are players for whom I see that they are no better than them and I think they have the quality to cope at this level.”

Is there resistance at Hull City?

Possibly. Jakirović was frank about the prejudice he feels players from the region face, saying: “If they were Portuguese, Spanish or other nationalities, it would be much easier for our players to come to England.”

He also admitted he does not push too hard when the people above him are not convinced: “Of course, in my club there is a hierarchy in the selection of players, there is a consensus, when I see that there is resistance I slowly give up on it because I see that it would take away my concentration on the players I currently have.”

That matters for January. Hull City have made a decent start since promotion, sitting level on 11 points with Ipswich after nine games and their 2-2 draw at the MKM Stadium, and the head coach clearly believes he knows a market others overlook.

Verdict: Hull should trust Jakirović’s eye

Beljo is almost certainly beyond Hull, and Jakirović more or less said so himself. The more interesting part of the interview is the list. A head coach who knows the Croatian league inside out is naming players he believes can cope in England, and hinting that not every name he puts forward gets past the people above him.

If Hull are serious about staying up, January is the time to listen to him. One work-permit-friendly signing from the region he knows best could be exactly the kind of value deal a newly promoted club needs, and it would show Jakirović that the hierarchy is on his side.