There were undoubtedly no expectations that James Chester, who joined in 2011, would turn out to be one of the club’s greatest transfer acquisitions ever.
Having made only a few appearances in the first team while on several loans, James Chester would not have been welcomed with much fanfare when he joined Hull City in 2011.
But over the course of his following four years with the team, he would prove to be one of Hull City’s greatest transfer acquisitions ever, making the rumoured £300k he signed for appear like extremely wise investment.
Chester’s arrival in East Yorkshire
Chester was brought in during the January 2010–11 season, when Hull was winning the Championship and had just got a financial boost from Assem Allam acquiring the team.
After being sent on loan to Carlisle United at the start of the season, he had originally intended to stay there permanently. However, his destination was confirmed to be the MKM Stadium when Hull manager Nigel Pearson indicated interest in signing a permanent contract with Chester’s parent team, Manchester United.
After signing, he would also have an immediate effect at Hull. It took him just two weeks after coming to score his first goal, having made his debut a week earlier. He would make 21 appearances overall in his first half-year at the club and come in second place for player of the year at the end-of-season honours.
Chester would go on to have another great season the next year, settling in well with new defensive coordinator Steve Bruce’s scheme. The season after that, he would join a club that won a promotion.
Chester was part of a history-making team
Chester was a member of a very successful Hull City team that was promoted to the Premier League ahead of the 2013–14 season, as was previously mentioned. Over the course of the following year or so, Chester would transform into a hero for Hull City.
During his rookie season in the Premier League, he not only helped the East Yorkshire-based Tigers secure their spot in the league with relative ease, but he also became the star of one of the biggest games in the team’s recent history.
To the amazement of many Tigers supporters, Hull enjoyed a fantastic FA Cup run during the second half of the 2013–14 season and had advanced to the final.
Despite being blatant underdogs against Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, the tenacious Hull team scored the first of their two goals in the first half, thanks to a goal by Chester.
The Tigers would ultimately taste loss in extra time, falling short 3-2, but that day created memories and cemented Chester’s legacy in Hull City legend.
Chester would play a significant role for Hull City the next season as they battled to avoid relegation. Regrettably, the Tigers lost out on safety by just three points and were forced to descend into the Championship.
Chester’s time at Hull came to an end with relegation, but he left without suffering a setback.
Chester’s move away netted Hull a profit – and gave them instant promotion
When Chester moved on, he went to West Bromwich Albion, who was still playing in the Premier League, but as was previously said, there were not many bad consequences to his departure.
With the claimed £8 million he moved away for, Hull had generated an incredible £7.7 million profit on their modest investment just four years earlier.
Nevertheless, Chester’s shift had other benefits outside only financial gain.
Chester’s departure didn’t have a major negative impact on Hull’s long-term prospects because they were able to assemble a team that immediately promoted them back to the Premier League after receiving such a sizable fee for him and other players that summer.
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