Duffen defends Tigers tenure

Duffen: Defiant

It is no different to the reality faced by many Premier League clubs. I'm pleased the actual debt of Hull has been confirmed at £9million, a wholly acceptable figure on a club turnover in excess of £50million Paul Duffen

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Former Hull chairman Paul Duffen has defended his tenure at the club and insisted the Tigers' financial position is not precarious.

Duffen quit his role at the KC Stadium last month citing the team's poor form, but just a day after the publication of an alarming financial report alongside the club's accounts.

Auditors stated the club would need to raise £23million just to balance the books if they suffered relegation this season.

Reports emerging over the weekend have suggested Tigers owner Russell Bartlett is considering selling the club

Duffen's replacement Adam Pearson questioned the club's wage bill and payments made to agents, but Duffen says the club's financial position is not as bad as has been made out.

"It is no different to the reality faced by many Premier League clubs. I'm pleased the actual debt of Hull has been confirmed at £9million, a wholly acceptable figure on a club turnover in excess of £50million," Duffen told the Daily Express.

Duffen has also insisted the club's £30million wage bill is manageable and that payments to agents were not excessive.

He added: "That is in the bottom quarter of the Premier League's wage table - and it would have been less if we had moved on more of the players we wanted to in the summer.

"Over my tenure through three summer transfer windows, the amount paid to agents would be less than £3million, not the £5.5million mentioned in some quarters. And that was on more than 30 transactions."