Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi will be aiming for a return to the English Premier League when Hull City face Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium on Friday.
Ajayi’s only experience in the English top flight came during the 2020/21 season with West Bromwich Albion, but the Baggies suffered relegation after finishing 19th.
The Nigeria international joined Hull City at the start of the 2025/26 campaign, bringing an end to his six-year spell with West Brom. He scored one goal and registered one assist in 22 appearances for the Tigers during the season.
Hull City secured a sixth-place finish in the regular season before overcoming Millwall 2-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals, despite Millwall having finished third in the table.
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The Tigers were initially expected to face Southampton in the final, but the Saints were expelled from the play-offs after admitting to spying on Middlesbrough training sessions earlier this month, alongside two other similar incidents during the season.
An Independent Disciplinary Commission opted to remove them from the competition rather than impose a financial penalty.
Saturday’s clash promises to be an intense encounter, with both sides claiming victories against each other during the regular season. Middlesbrough thrashed Hull City 4-1 in their first meeting of the campaign, while the Tigers responded with a narrow 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
Aside from Ajayi, fellow Nigerian David Akintola, who also joined Hull City at the start of the season, will be hoping to celebrate promotion to the Premier League with the Tigers.
Ajayi played the full 90 minutes in Hull City’s 2-0 second-leg victory over Millwall and will be expected to play a key role once again as the Tigers chase a return to the Premier League.
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