Hull City have made an inquiry to Tottenham Hotspur for Aaron Lennon, although any transfer is likely to hinge on whether Spurs would accept a loan deal this month.Lennon is available for around £7 million but it is understood that Tottenham would prefer a permanent deal and there is also strong interest from Stoke City.
Spurs would be keen on Kevin Mirallas being included as part of any deal with Everton but the Merseyside club’s manager, Roberto Martínez, does not want to sell his Belgium international this month.
Hull would favour a loan move for Lennon but, if a permanent option is included for the end of the season, it is possible that the England winger could follow Jake Livermore, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson in moving from Tottenham to Hull.
Lennon, 27, has made only three Premier League starts for Tottenham this season under Mauricio Pochettino and, after joining from Leeds United in 2005, is now behind Andros Townsend in the pecking order. He may yet prefer to wait until the summer, however, before finalising his future when he will have only one year remaining on his contract.
Townsend, meanwhile, has told Spurs fans that they should not doubt the commitment and work ethic of Emmanuel Adebayor, who was booed by a section of the crowd when he captained the team in the 1-0 Capital One Cup semi-final first-leg win against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.
“He worked hard and he is a fantastic player,” said Townsend. “Everyone knows what Manny can offer – last season and the season before he scored loads of goals. He has had a few off-the-field problems this season. He has got his head right, he has got himself fit.”
Midfielder Ryan Mason yesterday signed a new contract until 2020.
In other news at Hull, Mike Phelan is poised to make a swift return to football by joining Steve Bruce.
Phelan has held talks with Bruce and is expected to be confirmed as Hull’s assistant manager when the club return from a warm-weather training camp in Portugal.
The former Manchester United assistant manager left Norwich City last week after the appointment of Alex Neil and is understood to have already been interviewed for the post by Bruce.
Hull are searching for a new No 2 following the exit of Steve Agnew to Championship promotion contenders Middlesbrough and Phelan has a long association with Bruce stretching back to 1985, when they were team-mates at Norwich.
Bruce has also considered former United midfielder Nicky Butt and Paul Jewell – who walked out of West Bromwich Albion after less than a week – but Phelan is set to land the job in time for Hull’s home game against Newcastle on Jan 31.
“Before the end of the month I will have employed a number two,” said Bruce. “It’s important it’s a fresh voice with fresh ideas. I’m just waiting to find the right one.”
Phelan, 52, enjoyed a successful five-year spell as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Old Trafford, where he won three Premier League titles and two League Cups. He left the club in 2013 following Ferguson’s retirement.
By Jeremy Wilson, and John Percy, Telegraph