Sunderland are set to step up their interest in signing a striker this summer ahead of the upcoming Championship season.
However, according to Football Insider, Birmingham City are planning to open talks over re-signing Jay Stansfield from Fulham.
The forward signed for the Blues last year on loan, but his goals were unable to help the Midlands outfit avoid relegation to League One.
The Black Cats were linked with a move for Stansfield, who instead opted to make the switch to St. Andrew’s on a temporary basis.
Jay Stansfield’s importance to Birmingham
| Jay Stansfield’s stats 2023/24 – per Fbref.com | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Per 90 | ||
| Non-penalty goals | 0.32 | ||
| Non-penalty expected goals (npxG) | 0.25 | ||
| Shots | 2.62 | ||
| Assists | 0.05 | ||
| Expected assists (xAG) | 0.11 | ||
| npxG + xAG | 0.36 | ||
| Shot-creating actions | 2.32 | ||
He contributed 12 goals and two assists from 43 appearances in the second division, as Birmingham came 22nd in the table, six points behind 16th place Sunderland (all stats from Fbref).
Sunderland will be hoping to add to their frontline this summer, as they look to bridge the gap to the play-offs under new head coach Régis Le Bris.
Stansfield pursuit makes sense for Sunderland
Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on whether the Wearside outfit should pursue a move for Stansfield amid reported interest from Birmingham…
Declan Harte
Sunderland could arguably use the signing of more than one forward option this summer, as their young and inexperienced options haven’t yet proven themselves.
Mason Burstow has departed back to Chelsea, and the trio of Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Semedo and Eliezer Mayenda scored just twice between them in the Championship last season.
So bringing in Stansfield on loan should be something they consider this summer.
A permanent deal will depend on how much money they have to spend, which could also be determined by player sales, so that will have to be weighed up too.
There’s one area of the pitch that the club are now focusing in on.
Regardless of how a deal could be done, he would bolster their attacking options for the season ahead.
He scored 12 goals in a struggling Birmingham side last year, which is a significantly better record than the options currently at Sunderland’s disposal.
And given the creative talent around him, he may even be capable of even more in a side fighting in the top half of the table.
Being able to offer Championship football could convince him to move to the Stadium of Light instead of staying with Birmingham, so it is worth pushing this summer to see if a deal can be found to bring him into the fold.
Sam Rourke
Simply put, Sunderland need new strikers in the building before the end of the summer transfer window.
It’s an area that the Black Cats need to bolster and strengthen as a matter of urgency and Jay Stansfield, whom has been linked with the club before, would be a superb addition to Regis Le Bris’ attacking armoury.
With only Rusyn, Mayenda and Luis Semedo to call upon right now, Sunderland need reinforcements and it was an issue that plagued the side during the 2023/24 season with loan stars like Mason Burstow struggling to hit the heights at the Stadium of Light.
Stansfield proved to be an effective cog for Birmingham City last season despite their relegation, scoring 12 goals in what was an impressive stint for the former Exeter City man at St Andew’s.
It looked like Marco Silva wanted to keep Stansfield around at Craven Cottage for the upcoming Premier League campaign but with news that Birmingham are in talks to sign him on a permanent deal, perhaps that stance at Fulham has changed.
For me, Sunderland need to be in the reckoning here and should attempt to launch a fresh move for the pacey attacker ahead of the new season.
The creative players that Sunderland possess in the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Jack Clarke, and Patrick Roberts could prove to be perfect foil for Stansfield at the SoL.
A £6m bid may be too much and more than Sunderland may want to splash out on the 21-year-old but if the funds are there, he could be an astute addition for not just the short-term, but the long-term as well.
