Birmingham City had already spent a huge amount to build a squad capable of rising back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
However, their late deal for Jay Stansfield was the one that dropped jaws across the football world. After seeing sizeable bids knocked back, the Blues got a deal for the Fulham starlet over the line, coming in at an initial £15m.
The 21-year-old was viewed as a top prospect at Fulham and seemed in line for a future in the first-team. He starred on loan at Exeter City and then impressed with Birmingham City last season despite their relegation.
Such form prompted the ambitious City to make the huge move, tying Stansfield down to a deal until 2031.
A lot was made of the mega £15m+ deal Birmingham City struck for Tiverton-born Stansfield. There was widescale outrage at a League One club being able to pay such a fee while many debated whether the striker was worth it.
And, according to FootballTransfers‘ data, he isn’t.
They estimate Stansfield’s true transfer value to be €9.4m, or just under £7.9m. It means he is far and away the club’s most valuable player with fellow summer signing Willum Thor Willumsson rated at €5.2m (around £4.3m).
That Stansfield valuation comes in at a little over half of what the League One side are said to have paid for him up-front.
Of course, Birmingham City signed Stansfield for the player he already is. He’s someone far above League One level who looked to be teetering on a breakthrough with Premier League club Fulham.
However, he’s also a big investment for the future.
The Blues will see Stansfield as someone who can lead the line for them for years to come as they bid to make it back to the big time in the long-term.
If that doesn’t prove to be the case, the hope will be that they can at least cash in on Stansfield and sell him for a bigger fee. His potential certainly means there is the chance for his value to grow and grow, but only time will tell just how well this investment ages after such a huge outlay.
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