Hull City appoint Reading's Selles as new boss

Championship strugglers Hull City have appointed Reading boss Ruben Selles as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 41-year-old Spaniard replaces Tim Walter after the Tigers sacked the German last week following a run of nine games without a win.

Selles leaves the Royals in sixth place in League One despite the club - who have appointed Noel Hunt as boss - facing an uncertain future due to off-field issues.

His new side are 22nd in the Championship, with just three wins from 18 league games.

Caretaker Andy Dawson will remain in charge for Saturday's home game against Blackburn Rovers, with Selles taking his first match when they host Watford next Wednesday.

"I am really happy. When the possibility to come here became real, my eyes were on Hull City," the Spaniard told the club website.

"I know the team, the club, the history and I'm looking forward to starting my journey with the team.

"I saw a lot of similarities with where we are as technical staff and what we want to do for the present and the future, and that's why I decided to come.

"From now, we go all in, all together, every single time, 100%. There is no tomorrow; every day is important, every action is important. We're going to fight for every inch together."

Selles was Tigers' 'number one target'

The Tigers finished seventh under Liam Rosenior last season but owner Acun Ilicali surprisingly decided to sack the former Hull City defender in the summer.

Walter, who had previously managed Hamburg in the German second tier, was brought in as his replacement but struggled from the outset.

The 49-year-old was eventually sacked last week after a 2-0 home reverse by Sheffield Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Ilicali had said he would not change manager even if they lost the game.

Selles has coached in a number of countries including Cyprus, Russia and Azerbaijan and took over at Reading in the summer of 2023 after they were relegated to League One.

He guided them to a 17th-placed finish last season despite a six-point deduction for financial issues and a transfer embargo, and they have made an excellent start to this campaign with nine wins from their opening 18 games.

Ilicali said Selles was their "number one target" and that the former Southampton boss "stood out for his football philosophy, ability to develop players, attention to detail, and extensive coaching experience".

Analysis: 'Likeable' Selles ready for new challenge after being tested to the limit

BBC Radio Berkshire's Reading commentator Tim Dellor

Likeable, calm and well organised, Ruben Selles' character was tested to the full at Reading.

A lesser man in charge of the Royals for the past 18 months would have thrown the toys out the pram and snapped at least once but Selles took all the nonsense thrown at him by the owner and chief executive in his stride.

He also patiently and courteously fielded media questions about the baffling situation week after week, when really others should have been fronting up. He's as well qualified to be in the cabinet at Westminster as be a Championship football manager.

He got the tactics all wrong for his first few months in charge, playing a wretched 4-2-2-2 formation that was completely ineffective and, in another situation, after being winless in nine games and bottom of the League One table, his tenure would have been ended after three months at Reading.

However, a change in tactics and selection and a remarkable turnaround in results, with young players at the fore, all helped Selles become one of Reading's most popular managers ever.

All said and done though, the basic human quality of being a really likeable man is by far the most important quality, and that was what made him so effective during his 18 months at Reading.

More to follow.