Sunderland should push for Fulham U-turn involving Jay Stansfield: View | OneFootball

Sunderland should be working to persuade Fulham to permit Jay Stansfield to join them on loan.

Highlights

Sunderland's disappointing campaign was rather summed up by their strikers as their young forwards managed just three goals between them all season.

New head coach Regis Le Bris will understand then that he cannot be overly reliant on the likes of Luis Semedo and Nazariy Rusyn next season with both struggling to hit the target. For these players, a loan away from the Stadium of Light or an understudy role in the team makes sense with both still needing to learn their trade.

For Le Bris and the Black Cats hierarchy, they will need to answer these questions and turning to a young but well-versed forward in Jay Stansfield could be the answer.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Birmingham City and impressed in a struggling team where he notched 13 goals in all competitions. This contribution would be useful for Sunderland and the experience he gained last season could see him build on it further.

Jay Stansfield could answer Sunderland's issues

A proven goalscorer is what Sunderland need and Stansfield would be a quality addition to fix these woes.

At youth level, he has been a prolific, netting 38 times in 47 appearances for Fulham's age-related sides and has somewhat been able to display this across two senior loan spells.

In the 2022-23 season, he managed to provide 17 goal contributions at his father's former stomping ground, Exeter City, in his first real taste of men's football.

This spell must have done him wonders, and he only built on it last year with a brilliant spell at the Blues, amassing over 3000 minutes of Championship football. His good performances were duly rewarded by completing a clean sweep of all five men's categories at Birmingham City's end-of-season awards night.

With the striker persistently building on his previous season's work, who is to say that he won't go on and score even more if provided with the chance?

Having chased Stansfield "pretty hard" this time last year, Le Bris should urge the Black Cats hierarchy to return for the striker and offer Fulham a loan deal which can't be refused.

Sunderland will require Fulham, Marco Silva U-turn

Even if Sunderland prioritise a loan move for Stansfield, then Fulham's manager Marco Silva may stand in their way.

Speaking to The Standard about the striker, Silva said: "He’s going to be back with us.

“He played the season before in League One [with Exeter City], and to be able to give a step forward in the Championship and be an important piece in the attack-line and score important goals [was pleasing]. Jay achieved all the important things.

“Now is the moment for him to come back and be one of the players in our attacking line for next season.”

In football, words can always be taken with a pinch of salt and Sunderland will be hoping that Silva is not true to what he has said.

At Fulham, Stansfield will have a lot of competition to earn minutes as the form of Rodrigo Muniz and the experience of Raul Jimenez will surely see him third in the pecking order.

For the 21-year-old, he still has a long career ahead of him, so gaining more minutes in the division below is still probably the best option.