The "Overpriced" Birmingham Star Following in his Dad’s Footsteps

When League One Birmingham City purchased Fulham’s Jay Stansfield for nigh on £15 million in the summer of 2024, it was not simply a headline story in the third tier; the whole English footballing pyramid heard about it, and many took no time in ridiculing the Midlands outfit.

They called the young striker an overrated young prospect, overpriced in the extreme, and harshly branded him a waste of money before he even kicked a ball for their club. Well, at least not in his permanent spell.

Can we talk about what a waste of money Jay Stansfield has been??? 🤣#BCFC

— Christian Brown (@ctb76) November 23, 2025

Because the season prior, Birmingham had acquired the youngster on loan as they were relegated from the Championship - 20 years old at the time, he did OK, netting 12 goals and assisting two more.

For a young loanee, the figures were more than acceptable but certainly did not warrant the eye-watering sum the Tom Brady-owned club would splash on him the very next summer.

However, in the 16 or so months since arriving at the Blues permanently, Stansfield has made his doubters eat their words in remarkable fashion – here is how the England U21 international is fuelling Birmingham’s hopes of back-to-back promotion.

Big Shoes to Fill

Jay’s origin story is enough to weigh on anyone - son of Adam Stansfield, who became a club legend at Exeter City in the late 2000’s, Jay was aged six when he watched his dad play an important role in Exeter’s consecutive promotions back in the late 2000’s, which saw them vault from the Conference League back into League One.

Even by itself, this was considered an incredibly tricky act to follow, but what happened next would either go on to make or break Jay - Adam died due to complications arising from colorectal cancer in August of 2010, aged just 31.

Stansfield was suddenly without a father, without a close footballing role model, and without a mentor as he looked to follow his dad’s path into professional football. It would be enough to extinguish the dreams of almost anyone.

💔 Exeter legend Adam Stansfield passed away in 2010
9⃣ The Grecians retired the number 9 in his honour
📝 His son Jay joined the club on loan from Fulham this season
9⃣ The club allowed him to use his dad’s old number
⚽️ On his final appearance for the club he scored a… pic.twitter.com/JpX0d3x4nS

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) May 7, 2023

However, Jay was different. Instead of letting the death of his father eat him up, he used it to fuel his dreams, drawing upon it in the darkest moments, and using it as a talisman as he worked his way up the footballing period.

Acquired by Fulham in 2019 from Exeter’s academy, Jay was patient, and after three seasons of occasional run-outs for the Cottagers, for whom he scored his first senior goal, he was sent on loan to the very club which both developed him as a player and was his fathers legacy - Exeter City.

He was given a hero’s welcome, and was even handed his father’s number 9 shirt, which had been retired after his death. He would not explode as a player down in Devon, but he got his first significant taste of senior football, and it was the catalyst for a move to the Championship the very next season.

Building Reputation

Loaned out again in the 2023/24 season, Championship side Birmingham were the club to acquire the youngster, and after his nine-goal showing in League One the previous season, he had certainly shown that he had the potential to become an excellent second-tier player - all he needed was a couple of years to develop his game.

Making his Dad proud 💙

Jay Stansfield, the son of former Exeter star Adam Stansfield, made a move to Championship side Birmingham City on Friday…

Jay had a brilliant loan campaign at the Grecians last season, following in his fathers footsteps.

Today, he scored against… pic.twitter.com/qz2HKUEpD3

— The92Bible (@The92Bible) August 26, 2023

He certainly took a leap in his development, ending the season as top scorer with 12 goals despite relegation from a league he had never played in, and in the process showed his ceiling to be extremely high - higher even than his dad's.

It was this season that forced Birmingham into a decision. Stansfield was clearly a talented young player, and it was either resign to the fact that he would only ever be a loan player, or to splash the cash in order to acquire a player from a Premier League side.

Acquired by NFL legend Tom Brady the previous summer, who immediately pumped heavy investment into the club, Birmingham chose the latter option, and purchased Stansfield for a record League One fee of £14.8 million … over £10 million more than the previous League One record for a new signing.

Tom Brady knows how to give a motivational speech! 🔥

Birmingham's Jay Stansfield says the NFL legend is a 'big inspiration' at the club. 👏#BBCFootball #FACup pic.twitter.com/AxKk5gRfO0

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 8, 2025

Stansfield had big shoes to fill, and this time, they were not those of his late father. Instead, simply by the transfer fee put on his head, Stansfield was inadvertently given an ultimatum. He no longer had time to succeed - the 2024/25 season was his sink-or-swim campaign, the season that would make or break his career.

Rising Through the Ranks

It is safe to say that Stansfield didn’t sink - finishing the season as the Blues' top scorer for the second season running, he finished their League One campaign with 19 goals to his name as his side swept to the title with a record 111 points to their name.

Stansfield also netted a further five goals in cup competitions, including four in the Football League Trophy, as Birmingham came tantalisingly close to a second piece of silverware, losing to Peterborough United in the final.

However, with his goals a vital part of Birmingham’s record-breaking promotion, Stansfield had shown his hand, and all those labelling him a waste of money had suddenly gone very quiet. However, there were still those who believed that when playing in a league with the quality of the Championship, Jay wouldn’t have what it takes to justify his price tag.

His superb brace against Norwich City yesterday underlined just how wrong social media haters can be - in the right place at the right time to head home his first, and a deft, delicate chip reminiscent of the finest Premier League strikers for his second, Stansfield took his Championship tally to eight, nine in all competitions, in just 17 games.

Jay Stansfield scores goals. ⚽️⚽️

A brace for the Blues' forward makes it five goals and an assist in his last four home games 🔵#FantasyEFL | @BCFC pic.twitter.com/0fGbznHLII

— Fantasy EFL (@FEFLOfficial) November 22, 2025

For context, in the 43 Championship games he played in two seasons prior, he netted just four more, and this season, he has already equalled the two assists he made in 2023/24.

He has played a huge part in moving a deadly Birmingham to within just a point of the play-off spots, sitting above two of last season's three relegated Premier League sides. Netting four goals in each of their last three home games, St Andrews' is a ground that no one wants to visit these days - Stansfield and co. tend to run riot more often than not.

It has been a remarkable start to the season for the newly promoted Blues, and to Stansfield, it means just that little bit extra.

Because, should Birmingham achieve a remarkable second promotion in a row this season, Stansfield would equal his father’s greatest achievement, and given the leagues from which he has helped his side escape, one could argue that he has eclipsed it.

But it is so much more than replicating his father’s achievement; Adam became a club legend in his time at Exeter, a player who, like the team he played for, defied expectation by remaining a key part of the team in three different divisions. Stansfield is set on becoming a legend of his own at St Andrews’.

He said just as much in an interview earlier this week: “For me, obviously, I am here for a long time. My dad was a club legend, and that is something I strive to be at Birmingham, to try and become a legend at this football club. I’ll do all that I can to get this club back to where they belong.”

"My dad was a club legend and that's something I strive to be at Birmingham."

Jay Stansfield endearing himself to Birmingham fans with this line 👏pic.twitter.com/gFWPMLtat0

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) November 20, 2025

Obviously, with just 16 games played, there is a lot of football left between Stansfield, Birmingham and a back-to-back promotion. But on the club legend front, should Stansfield maintain the exceptionally high levels he has set himself so early in his career, the 22-year-old is well on his way to becoming a hallowed name that echoes throughout the club's 150-year history.

One way or another, regardless of their finishing position this season, one thing is clear. Adam Stansfield would be immensely proud of his son, and it is likely this, more than trophies, glitz, and glamour, that gets Jay out of bed each and every day.