The fact he wasn't even in Russell Martin’s plans for a good few months and was told to find another club must have caused Jay Fulton some sleepless nights eighteen months ago. However, that’s now changed to the extent the club are keen to give him a new contract and apparently before his current one runs out next year.

How revolutionary.

It was almost as if the sword of damocles was hanging over Jay’s head for months. Then clubs came in for him but none could match his current salary of around ten thousand pounds a week. That is what saved Jay’s time at Swansea, and ensured he would stay. And one other significant feature in his life. His family are so well settled in the area to move would have been a huge problem. And Jay loves the city and playing for Swansea. Next year will see him with ten years at the club.

He made a conscious decision to stay and fight.

It’s now apparent that the Swans would like to talk with Jay regards a contract extension and to do that they will want this sorted by the summer. Fulton’s work rate has added steel to the midfield and has been a welcome sight since he forced his way back in to the first eleven. When he was out of the team and told there was no future for him he got his head down and worked solidly. He ensured the manager couldn’t ignore him and now he features regularly in the starting eleven.

No tantrums or problems created that affect everyone in the squad like Obafemi and Paterson, just hard work and a conscious decision to work hard to get back in to the team. And he has done that. It’s obvious now he won’t be able to reach the high amounts awarded to him when Steve Cooper was manager, but it will have to be decent or Jay and his family on this occasion will have no choice but to consider moving on. That would be a massive break up with his wife and children all from the area. Ex Swansea manager Steve Cooper said of Jay at the time of his new contract award.” I can't tell you how professional he is. He's the ultimate team player or squad member if you like. He's always put everything else before him, a selfless individual. Swansea is very important to him. His wife has just given birth to a second child and they're going to grow up here, and that's important when you're a family man as he is”

It was an obvious error to state that Jay needed to find another club back in 2021 by Russell Martin, and one we are sure he has long since admitted. Whether that exclusion came from a disregard for the head coach’s tactics or training plans or just inexperience on Martin’s part we will never know. The reason for this of course is we’ve had no explosion of child like stupidity from Jay just a decision to work hard for his club and family.

And that’s definitely what will now at least earn him another contract offer in the near future.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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