Birmingham City's ideal Jay Stansfield replacement could be waiting at Leeds United if January blow is dealt | OneFootball

With reports about Jay Stansfield's future at St. Andrew's continuing to circulate, Birmingham City may be in the market for a new striker in January.

The 21-year-old has attracted interest from Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town, as per Football Insider, and Sunderland, via Sky Sports, but the forward has since come out and said he is committed to the Blues for the remainder of the season, according to Birmingham World.

Tony Mowbray's side have scored 32 times this season, the eighth lowest in the division, so the need for goals will be crucial if they are to remain outside the relegation zone. Four players they allowed to leave the club in the summer - Troy Deeney, Tahith Chong, Maxime Colin and Harlee Dean - scored 14 of the 30 goals they had managed for the entirety of last campaign, which is hardly ideal.

Tony Mowbray could turn to former Sunderland star

Having departed the Stadium of Light over a month ago, Mowbray could turn to one of the players he had on loan during his time in the North East.

Joe Gelhardt, who joined Sunderland for his first professional loan move from Leeds United, contributed six goal contributions in 20 games before returning to Elland Road.

His relationship with Mowbray was evidently a good one, starting 15 games during his time at the Stadium of Light.

Several clubs are reportedly interested in the 21-year-old in January, with Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon, that West Brom are eyeing a move for the 21-year-old along with Celtic, Rangers, Plymouth Argyle, and Blackburn Rovers.

The likelihood of Gelhardt being allowed to move to The Hawthorns is thought to be slim, with Leeds unlikely to loan a player to a direct play-off rival, so an opportunity to aid the Blues' relegation fight could be more likely, linking up with his former manager.

An ideal replacement for Jay Stansfield

There are a number of similarities between Gelhardt and Stansfield in the way that they play and operate in a forward line.

While their natural position is at centre-forward, both can operate in the wide positions, with Gelhardt starting three games in the wide positions last season and operating in a more central position this term, just behind Joel Piroe or Patrick Bamford.

The 21-year-old's versatility in the front areas would give Blues another exciting attacking option, with Siriki Dembele, young midfielder Jordan James, and Juninho Bacuna leading the way in terms of goals this season, behind Stansfield.

Gelhardt's ability to operate in the centre-forward position would also relieve the pressure on Lukas Jutkiewicz, while also being able to bring in an abundance of energy to the front line and allowing the experienced striker to impact the game from the bench.

His goalscoring record at senior level - seven goals in 90 games - leaves a little to be desired but he was lethal in the Whites age-group sides and you'd back Mowbray, who is renowned for his work with young players, to help bring that out of him.

Daniel Farke has insisted that Gelhardt remains a 'proper part' of his Leeds squad heading into the second part of the season, which could be a huge blow should Stansfield be sold permanently.

The 21-year-old was again an unused substitute in their 3-0 win over Cardiff at the weekend, but speaking before the game, Farke believes an immediate decision is not imminent on Gelhardt's future.

He told LeedsLive: "Joffy is a proper part of our group and has also played several games and also several minutes.

"At the moment, we are not tempted to give players away, also not in offensive positions. Perhaps it's a different situation at the end of January, but at the moment, no, we're just happy Joffy has returned back to team training for the first time yesterday and he is also available for the game at the weekend.

“At the moment, all the players who are fit and available to pick have also good chances to be in our travelling squad for the game and the gameday squad. So for that, we are happy he's back.”

That's a clear obstacle for the Blues but Gelhardt remains a player that should be on their radar should Stansfield depart.