City have a contract decision to make about one of their key players
Regan Slater faces up Andrey Santos against Chelsea(Image: Pro Sports Images)
‘Fifty grand, fifty grand, Regan Slater’ is a chant regularly heard at the MKM Stadium, and it’s one that’s become more vociferous in recent weeks.
For those that don’t know, that was the sum total of the price Hull City paid Sheffield United to sign the midfielder in January 2022 when he became Acun Ilicali’s first permanent signing following his takeover.
Slater has been in and out of the team since then, under various managers. Various midfielders have come and gone; only Slater has remained.
He started this season under Sergej Jakirovic as his ‘fourth or fifth’ choice. In came John Lundstram, Amir Hadziahmetovic, and Darko Gyabi, joining the likes of Matt Crooks and the injured Eliot Matazo in the squad.
Slater’s performances have seen him become Jakirovic’s number one midfielder. While the others have either struggled with injury or form, the former Blade has delivered consistently.
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Against Chelsea’s midfield, which saw him come up against £115m signing Moises Caicedo and £18m Andrey Santos, along with Estevao (£29m) and Pedro Neto (£54m) to name but four, Slater battled hard and showed his quality on a night that involved a fair amount of chasing about
At the age of 26, Slater is getting better, and City must move quickly to tie him down to a new contract. His existing deal ends this summer, and while the club have the option of a further 12 months, he warrants a long-term extension.
Slater has progressed into a reliable performer, one with energy, dynamism and is central to City’s hopes of winning promotion. Jakirovic’s biggest problem this season, aside from all the struggles with injury, has been finding somebody to form a consistent, successful partnership in midfield with him.
Of course, there’s room for improvement. Slater needs to add more goals if he’s to be considered in the top bracket of Championship midfielders. We’ve seen at Birmingham City and against Swansea City that he has it in his locker. He knows himself that he should be getting towards double figures, given the positions he gets into, and the quality he has.
Like they’ve just done with Lewie Coyle, the Tigers would do well to get him tied down. Not only does it protect itself from potential interest this summer and beyond, but it’s a reward for a player who is rarely unavailable, and at last count, has 213 appearances for the club under his belt.
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