Well, you can’t blame him, Jay Fulton has a very decent deal until 2024. It pays him very well, and despite numerous offers to date he still hasn’t found a club that can offer him the financial security the swans do.
What would you do ?
There you are getting around 40k a month, having a bit of training now and then and generally not doing a lot. You get the odd bench opportunity when things are tight but you know since September the manager has stated, you are not in my plans. Fulton is quite within his rights just to put his feet up and sit out the next two and a half years. He will gross around a million pounds, probably more, and could easily choose what he does each day, carpentry ? Do his coaching badges, develop a football school or another business away from football, all things Russell Martin has done. Bar the carpentry of course. He has a family here in Swansea, Steve Cooper said when he signed the new deal a year ago that Jay wants to be at Swansea for as long as he can.
Much has changed since then mind.
Why Jay isn’t in Russell Martin’s plans is open to speculation, it seems to us that those players who struggle to come to terms with his training style and the way he delivers development, or rebel against it soon become surplus to requirements. We can see the point as well. Nobody wants their players grumbling away and affecting others who want to learn and move forwards. A disruptive influence doesn’t help a group of young people in any form of employment, we would hedge our bets on this being the reason.
If you think differently, then we did too at first. We thought Jay being a very decent footballer would knuckle down and become the leader he could be at the swans. He would be an allie to the new boss and his coaching team. Fulton has a committed style on the pitch, he has been at the swans for quite some time. He knows the club and has displayed a commitment to it. Most people would welcome that attitude and embrace someone with his skill set and experience.
So there has to be more to it than that, otherwise he would be in the team regularly.
Barnsley and Blackpool have talked to Jay, the club have made it clear he is free to talk to who he wants, but of course a fee will have to be involved at this point. Nottingham Forest keep being linked, and they are a club who could match his salary demands, and offer a longer deal.
It must frustrate Jay a lot, but also should serve as a reminder that whatever it is that went wrong with Russell Martin it could have been repaired. It could well be he will look back at this with some regret. In the meantime Jay Fulton is a Swansea City player, he might not be in an hours time, that’s the nature of the transfer window. It’s a frustrating situation for the club, which we hope will resolve itself this month. If not Jay has a long rest of the season to do not a great deal.
We just get the feeling this whole thing could have been handled far better, if not only for the fact the club are or could be held to ransom on this. It isn’t a good place to be.