22-year-old can save Hull City £4m this summer alone: View | OneFootball

Hull City haven't been afraid to target big-name players ever since Acun Ilicali completed his takeover of the club back in January 2022.

In the past two years, a plethora of hyped-up transfer deals have been completed in East Yorkshire, a theme which continued this January as Liam Rosenior looked to add more bodies to his play-off-chasing squad.

However, when it comes to forward-planning, should the Tigers head coach look at one of the club's own when it comes to pinning down a left-back spot, which has been somewhat of an issue at varying points across the season?

Matty Jacob's breakthrough into the Hull City first team

Despite being at the age of 22, this season is the first where left-back Matty Jacob has broken into the first-team picture at the MKM Stadium, after coming through the ranks in the club's academy setup.

In December, Rosenior named him among five of seven Championship matchday squads across a hectic month, before making his professional debut on New Year's Day.

The defeat to Sheffield Wednesday that day was a dismal showing in the grand scheme of proceedings. However, across his 29-minute cameo, the full-back showed plenty of promise and maturity, proving Rosenior's point that he would "grab" his opportunity after previously missing out through injuries.

Since then, Jacob has hardly looked back, despite coming up against a number of tricky opponents, such as Norwich City's Jonathan Rowe, when making his first league start for Hull in the 2-1 defeat on January 12th, as well as fending off Sunderland's wide threat a week later in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light, in what was a tremendous defensive display by Rosenior's men on that particular evening.

QPR performance epitomises Jacob's strong development

Besides marking his first professional start with a goal against Birmingham City in the FA Cup Third Round on January 6th, recent performances against Cardiff and QPR will ultimately give the Barnsley-born full-back the highest possible amount of satisfaction, as City's loss of Ryan Giles in the starting lineup was more than his gain.

As highlighted by City's official club media, the 22-year-old's display in the 3-0 demolition of the West Londoners epitomised his rapid development into becoming a first-team regular for years to come.

Two flashpoints showcased his tireless desire to help the side record a first clean sheet in seven games, as well as only the second home shutout this calendar year. One being a remarkable effort which saw him win a tackle with his head, as well as an off the line block to deny Paul Smyth a consolation, moments after the Northern Irishman rounded Ryan Allsop.

And, despite the fluidity Rangers possess through their star men in the form of Chris Willock and Ilias Chair, neither could get the better of Jacob, who was only dribbled past on one occasion, a key facet in his 8.0 match rating as per Sofascore - which was only bettered by Ozan Tufan.

Matty Jacob could save Hull City £4m in potential Luton Town deal

There's no doubt that Hull now have two strong left-backs at their disposal, with the other being Ryan Giles, who is currently on loan from Luton Town.

Unsurprisingly, Giles' ability going forward has been his main strength, although not quite to the same levels seen at Middlesbrough last season, where he registered 11 assists and created a further 23 big chances.

However, there have been question marks within the fanbase regarding Giles' defensive ability, despite his pace at times to get back to deny a quick transition.

This isn't necessarily just on Giles, as there have been cries from supporters that Hull are missing a 'number 6', who is able to cover, giving the likes of the Hatters loanee even greater license to get forward. This perhaps came into Rosenior's thinking on Saturday, as his cameo off the bench saw him play ahead of Jacob on the left flank, proving his defensive ability and awareness despite only making his fourth Championship start.

If it was between Jacob and Giles when it came down to pinning a first-choice left back for next season, then the 22-year-old has five pivotal games to prove himself even further on that regard, which could end up saving the Tigers £4m, as a result of an estimated option-to-buy clause inserted in the initial loan deal from Kenilworth Road.

This could prove to be savvy business from Ilicali and Rosenior, as well as continuing to aid the development of yet another homegrown talent, who recently signed a fresh three-year contract extension.