Highlights:
- Hull City have confirmed winger Sorba Thomas was unhurt after his car flipped near the club's Cottingham training ground on Friday morning.
- Images circulating on social media showed his Land Rover Defender lying upside down on a narrow residential street, with fire engines and police attending the scene.
- Thomas will still travel with the squad for Saturday's Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Sorba Thomas had barely settled into life at Hull City before Friday morning gave him a scare that had nothing to do with football. The Wales international's Land Rover Defender flipped near the club's Cottingham training ground at around 9am, prompting a response from both the emergency services and, in person, his own manager.
What actually happened?
Eyewitnesses reported the incident around 9am on Friday, with fire engines and police attending the scene. Photos shared on social media showed Thomas's Land Rover Defender, complete with a personalised registration plate, lying on its side on a narrow residential street close to the training ground. Pictures also showed Hull head coach Sergej Jakirovic at the scene himself. Hull confirmed Thomas was driving alone at the time.
How is Thomas doing now?
Completely fine, according to the club. Hull released a statement saying they were "relieved to confirm" Thomas was unharmed, and that he had emerged from the vehicle without any injuries at all. The club also addressed the images spreading online directly, reassuring supporters given how dramatic the photos of the overturned vehicle looked. Thomas is expected to travel normally with the rest of the squad for Saturday's trip to Stamford Bridge.
| What's confirmed | |
|---|---|
| Incident time | Around 9am, Friday |
| Location | Near Hull City's Cottingham training ground |
| Vehicle | Land Rover Defender, personalised plate |
| Injuries | None; Thomas "completely unscathed" |
| Next fixture | Chelsea (away), Saturday, Stamford Bridge |
| Joined Hull | Deadline day, from Stoke City |
Who is Sorba Thomas, and how new is he to Hull?
Genuinely new. Thomas signed for Hull on deadline day after a season at Stoke City, and made his Hull debut only last week in a draw against Aston Villa. Born in Barking in 1999, he came through West Ham's academy before dropping into non-league football with Boreham Wood, then rebuilding his career through Huddersfield Town, loan spells at Blackburn Rovers and French side Nantes, and a year at Stoke, where he scored 10 goals in 48 appearances. He's also an established Wales international, with 27 caps and 2 goals for his country since 2021.
Jakirovic has already spoken publicly about what he sees in Thomas's game, describing him as a left winger capable of playing further infield as a left-sided number 10, praising his delivery, end product and set-piece quality, alongside genuine pace and defensive responsibility. For a manager to speak in that much tactical detail about a player who's made just one appearance says something about how quickly Thomas is expected to be integrated.
What's next for Hull?
A tough return to Premier League action. Hull travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday to face a Chelsea side that's been scoring freely this season, prompting Jakirovic to joke earlier in the week that the only way to stop them would be to "kick them," before turning serious about the need for a compact, collective defensive effort instead. Thomas, barely a fortnight into his Hull career and now with an eventful week behind him for reasons that have nothing to do with football, is expected to be part of that plan regardless.
