Birmingham City will look to reinforce their newly-relegated squad immediately. With the transfer window opening in the coming weeks, one man that faces questions marks surrounding his future is Jay Stansfield.
The Fulham loanee has clearly shown his love for the club; he was in tears at Birmingham’s end of the season ceremony, where he claimed five awards. That included the Players’ Player of the Season, Young Player, Supporters’ Player, Goal of the Season, and ultimately the Top Goalscorer accolade. Fans will be calling out for a permanent move to be materialised, but will know deep down that the 21-year-old has his own Premier League ambitions with his parent club.
Players' Player of the Season 🏆
Young Player of the Season 🏆
Supporters' Player of the Season 🏆
Goal of the Season (Plymouth @ Home) 🏆
Top Goalscorer 🏆Congratulations on a brilliant season, Jay. 👏 pic.twitter.com/sI0zFZ6rul
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) May 5, 2024
After a scintillating campaign for the Blues, Stansfield will understandably hold the Midlands side close to his heart. 12 goals and two assists are great numbers for a debut season in the Championship; unfortunately this achievement wasn’t enough to help his temporary side avoid the drop. Despite his permanent signature seeming nigh on impossible, some hope of a return next season can be found in the English striker’s interview with Birmingham Live.
“I think I’ve just built up such a relationship with the fans and the club that I wanted to give my all in every game. We came up short in the end and everyone around the club is feeling hurt. I think the club will be back where it belongs very soon. Hopefully next season they can push on.
“I earned my respect on the first day and could show everyone why I chose Birmingham. Being around the city and seeing the fans, and seeing how welcoming and hard-working everybody is, there are amazing people everywhere round here.
“We’ll see what happens, I’m heading back to Fulham and I’m going to try my best there. That’s my team at the moment and I need to take everything I’ve learned from here and go there. Blues will always have a place in my heart.”
Writer’s View
There’s no doubt that Birmingham would show no hesitation to bring Stansfield back to St. Andrew’s for another year or even on a permanent basis. However, with teams around the Championship circling for strikers more than ever, the 21-year-old may want to continue harnessing his abilities in the second tier for another year, or hope to carry last year’s momentum into a first team push at Fulham.
The London club already have Rodrigo Muniz and Raul Jimenez as their preferred strikers. But, with the latter turning 33 yesterday, and struggling to replicate his earlier form following his recent injury, Stansfield could be trusted to emerge as a much-needed backup next season.