Birmingham City can keep Liam Millar for the whole season — Hull City have no recall clause
Hull City cannot terminate Liam Millar's season-long loan at Birmingham City, Blues boss Chris Davies has confirmed. The 27-year-old winger joined the Championship side in the final hours of the summer transfer window and has scored four goals in seven league appearances, with no return clause written into the deal.
- Competition: EFL Championship (Millar's loan from Hull City to Birmingham City)
- Headline: No recall clause exists — Millar stays at Birmingham for the whole season
- Millar's record: Four goals in seven league appearances for Birmingham
- Deal type: Season-long loan, completed in the closing stages of the summer window
- Hull context: Millar helped Hull secure promotion to the Premier League last season
- Source of claim: Birmingham manager Chris Davies, via Birmingham Live
Deal details
Millar's move is a season-long loan from Hull City to Birmingham City, finalised in the dying embers of the summer transfer window. No fee has been disclosed in the source report. The critical detail is the absence of any break option: Birmingham manager Chris Davies says Hull have no mechanism to cut the spell short.
Millar had started the campaign in Hull's ranks following the club's promotion to the Premier League, before being sent back to the Championship on loan. The switch has worked immediately — four goals across seven league outings for a Birmingham side that has benefited from his directness in the final third.
What was said
"I can give everyone their Christmas present early and say that there's no return clause to Hull and he's with us for the whole season, which makes us all happy. He's made a great start."
"I think I'm right in saying he's made a real commitment to the area in terms of his personal circumstances as well with his family which says a lot for a loan player. He's fully invested, he's fully bought into this and he's going to be with us for the whole season."
Davies' tone is telling. Managers rarely volunteer contract mechanics, and doing so unprompted signals how central Millar is to Birmingham's plans. The reference to family circumstances settling in the area matters too — borrowed players who relocate fully tend to perform, and Millar's start supports that.
"The gaffer was very open with me that he's wanted me for a long time. I think, this period, I really just wanted to be wanted and I wanted to be appreciated."
"I felt like, at times, that wasn't the case for me. I think that was a big thing. The conversations I had with the gaffer, with the sporting directors here, and also the stadium and the environment [were factors]."
"It was very quick to be honest - I didn't really know what was going on. It was very quick. Listen, I wish I could speak more to you boys about what's obviously gone on at Hull and that, but I'm not going to speak about that at this time."
That last line leaves the door ajar on a strained Hull departure. Millar points to feeling undervalued and to the persuasion of Davies and Birmingham's sporting directors. He explicitly declines to detail what happened at Hull.
The numbers
- League appearances for Birmingham: 7
- League goals for Birmingham: 4
- Age: 27
- Recall clauses: 0 (none in the agreement)
- Loan duration: the whole season
Why Birmingham's loan structure is a genuine win
A season-long loan without a recall clause is the rarest kind of Championship arrangement. Parent clubs almost always retain a break option as insurance against injuries or a change of manager, so Hull agreeing otherwise hands Birmingham certainty in the wide areas for the entire campaign.
For Liam Millar, that certainty translates into risk-taking. Wingers who know a bad month will not end their spell play with the handbrake off — they take on the full-back, shoot early, chase the percentage ball. Four goals in seven league games is exactly that profile. Davies has also spoken about Millar settling his family in the area, which points to a player sleeping well and training without distraction.
For Hull, the trade-off is clear. They secured promotion with Millar in the squad last season and then let him go back to the Championship on loan, without a clause to bring him back. That is only defensible if the Premier League squad is strong enough without him — and Millar's own remarks about feeling unappreciated suggest the relationship had already cooled before the window shut.
Talking points
- Was Hull's decision to loan Millar out with no recall clause a calculated risk or a mistake they will regret if the Premier League season turns sour?
- Millar says he "just wanted to be wanted" — how much of Birmingham's early form is down to man-management rather than tactics?
- Four goals in seven games from a loan winger is automatic-starter form. Does Davies now have a selection problem when other wide players return?
- The refusal to discuss Hull says plenty. Should Millar's exit from the Tigers be read as a fallout or simply a football decision?
What happens next
Birmingham continue their Championship campaign with Millar available for selection, and Davies has publicly closed the door on any January conversation about cutting the loan short. The next decision point is the winter window itself, when Hull will have no leverage to bring the winger back regardless of results. For Millar, the target is simple: sustain the goal-a-game-ratio start and make the season-long arrangement feel like a permanent one.
Frequently asked questions
Can Hull City recall Liam Millar from his Birmingham loan?
No. Chris Davies confirmed there is no return clause in the deal, so Millar is with Birmingham for the whole season.
How many goals has Liam Millar scored for Birmingham City?
Millar has scored four goals in seven league appearances for Birmingham since joining on a season-long loan.
When did Liam Millar join Birmingham City and why did he leave Hull?
He joined in the final stages of the summer transfer window. Millar cited wanting to feel wanted and appreciated, and declined to discuss what happened at Hull.
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