“No excuse” – Birmingham City prospects as news of £6m Jay Stansfield swoop emerges
The optimism surrounding Birmingham City is at an all-time high, fueled by cash and ambition from an American investment group.
Birmingham are making substantial moves in the transfer market, including a potential £6m bid for Jay Stansfield to strengthen their front line.
The pressure is on Birmingham to achieve promotion with a high level of spending and talent in their squad, facing expectations of winning the title.
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Despite suffering relegation at the end of last season, there hasn’t been this much optimism surrounding Birmingham City for a long, long time.
Blues supporters will be embarking on their first venture to many clubs at League One level for a while, having not featured at this level since the 1994/95 season.
The belief, as well as the expectation that surrounds the club, is that the newly-appointed Chris Davies’ side will emulate the success shown by Barry Fry’s side of yesteryear and earn a first-time promotion back to the Championship, as they are fuelled by a vast amount of cash and ambition by American investment group, Knighthead.
And so far, based off the transfer business in B9, which includes the recent acquisitions of Alex Cochrane, Willum Þór Willumsson and Christoph Klarer – who made 30 Bundesliga appearances for FC Darmstadt last term – have left the majority of their divisional counterparts looking on with envy.
And as if that wasn’t enough, a fresh update on Monday morning would have only heightened the abundance of the aforementioned feelings from both a Blues and opposition persuasion.
Birmingham City plot £6m move for Jay Stansfield reunion
That’s because, according to Football Insider, Birmingham are looking to add to their already formidable-looking front line with a potential move that could bring Jay Stansfield back to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
The report states that Blues – who have seen previous reports of a £20m budget mooted earlier in the summer – have opened talks with Fulham over the possibility of a permanent deal for the 21-year-old who was the main beacon of light in Royal Blue in what was a chaotic season under six permanent and temporary managers last time out.
It is believed that the Second City club are preparing an ambitious £6m bid to lure Stansfield – who earned a clean sweep of awards at the club in May after netting 13 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions – back on a permanent basis.
Whilst he is currently tied down to a contract in West London until 2027, the report goes on to state that Fulham are open to a sale in what remains in the summer transfer window.
Journalist Darren Witcoop has since relayed such interest, but has stated that an agreement between the two sides is not yet close.
Jay Stansfield return would only increase Birmingham City’s expectations
With all of that being said, some of Football League World’s writers have issued their verdict on this potential recapture, as well as what it means for Birmingham’s already lofty expectations going into the new season.
Benedict Ferraby
We’re only a month into this transfer window, and in truth, it’s an ominous sign for the rest of the division that Birmingham can even prepare such a significant bid, regardless of whether they’re successful in their pursuit of Stansfield this time or not.
But, if he was to make a move permanent, it’s a mouth-watering prospect for Blues fans that he and Alfie May would be lining up against opposition defenders, given both of their previous records at this level, before you even take the former Exeter man’s campaign in the second tier into account.
According to estimated figures, Blues have spent over €9m on the recent signings of Willumsun and Klarer, and the aforementioned price tag on Stansfield would take this obscene spending level for a League One side to the most insane of heights, even with Davies stating that more players need to be added throughout the squad.
Given May’s record of 66 third tier goals in the last three seasons and Stansfield’s well-documented pedigree and future potential, the duo would bare the highest amount of pressure on their shoulders, and could be expected to hit at least 15-20 goals as a bare minimum as a result.
However, whilst Blues’ ambition under Tom Wagner’s stewardship can be commended, a failure to live up to such demands could mean the project may stutter and have ramifications on future spending sprees, especially as they face a number of sides who are seasoned at this level and have a number of well-established partnerships among their XI’s, which Birmingham do not have in parts amid the mass influx of new signings.
