Hull City announce Georgia's all-time leading goal scorer Shota Arveladze as new manager

Shota Arveladze new Hull City manager
Motivated: New Hull City manager Shota Arveladze Credit: Hull City

Hull City have announced the appointment of Shota Arveladze as the club’s new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 48-year-old has managed over 300 games across spells with five clubs in three different countries, boasting a win percentage of over 50 per cent.

His last managerial post came in Uzbekistan with FC Pakhtakor Tashkent from 2017 to 2020, where he was appointed by the same ownership group as Everton.

During his three-year spell, Arveladze won five trophies, including two Uzbekistan Super League titles and reached the Asian Champions League semi-finals.

He has also managed in Turkey with Kayserispor, Kasımpaşa and Trabzonspor, Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv and coached in Holland alongside Louis van Gaal, Ronald Koeman and Dick Advocaat.

Georgia’s all-time leading scorer with 26 goals in 61 caps, the prolific former striker plundered over 300 goals and won 18 major honours during a distinguished 18-year playing career.

He lifted league titles in Scotland with Rangers, Holland with Ajax and his homeland with Dinamo Tbilisi, being named Georgian Footballer of the Year on three occasions.

Arveladze said: “I want to say thank you to everyone who has given me this opportunity. I believe everyone who is in this sector in football wants to be in England and I am just really happy and my family is proud.

I am so motivated and have the hunger to show this club can do well with the boys, with the quality, with the young talents that we have. We have parts (of the team) where we are very creative, talented, parts with experience. It’s a good mix.

I like attractive football when supporters are on your side – they want to come, they love to come to watch the game.

I’s great to have this game (Swansea City) as soon as possible. I’m really looking forward to being here to meet the supporters. We’re going to try our best to show really good football, attacking football.

The main target is always going to be to win. The fans have to come and cheer for the club they love and the boys. We have great players to come and have the pleasure to watch them.

Let’s do this together, let’s cheer together and let’s win together.”