"Trust me" - Birmingham City: Jay Stansfield targeted in Premier League prediction | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer believes both player and club are destined for the top in the coming years

Carlton Palmer believes Birmingham City hold all the cards regarding Jay Stansfield’s future, and has praised their Blues for their summer business last year.

The 22-year-old found the back of the net for the 16th time in League One football on Saturday to claim a 1-0 victory over Charlton Athletic, and give City a nine-point lead at the top of the third tier table, and an eleven-point buffer on third-placed Wrexham.

The Midlands outfit were said to have paid a fee of over £15 million to Fulham for the striker’s services after their relegation from the Championship last summer, with the frontman leading the charge for an immediate return to the second tier.

Despite the hefty transfer fee, former West Bromwich Albion man Palmer believes tying Stansfield down to a long-term contract at St Andrew’s will see them in fine fettle for the years to come, as they look to work their way back up through the football pyramid.

Birmingham City praised for Jay Stansfield business

The eight-figure transfer fee for Stansfield was by far the biggest ever seen in the third tier when Birmingham forked out for the Premier League marksman last summer, but that investment is already reaping rewards, with Saturday the latest example.

Another rifled finish was the difference against the Addicks, with his 16th league goal of the season seeing him sit alongside Wycombe’s Richard Kone at the top of the scoring charts after another successful season in the Midlands.

Having started his love affair at St Andrew’s in the previous campaign - in which he scored 12 times in 43 league games for a struggling City side in the Championship - Stansfield has continued where he left off upon his return to the club, with promotion almost within touching distance as the points continue to tot up.

Having signed a seven-year deal last summer, Palmer can see the forward staying where he is for the foreseeable future, despite the predicted interest that will come his way during the off-season.

When asked on the striker’s situation, Palmer said: “Birmingham City's Jay Stansfield scored again in their win over Charlton, and that takes his tally to 16 league goals for the season in 23 appearances.

“He has been a revelation, and of course people are going be looking at the player, especially with his performance against Newcastle [in the FA Cup] where he played really well and looked a real live wire.

“But that’s why Birmingham broke the bank to pay the money for him to fire them back to the Championship. He is under contract until the summer of 2031, so Birmingham City are in total control over what is happening with Jay Stansfield.

“I think there is no doubt that he will move up to the Championship next season, Birmingham will be back in the Championship next season, and he will be scoring goals in the Championship.”

Carlton Palmer makes Birmingham City, Jay Stansfield Premier League prediction

It is no secret that Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital Management are prepared to invest heavily into the Birmingham City playing squad, with Stansfield being the main example of that right now.

If promotion is earned from League One in the next few months, Palmer expects plenty more funds to be available to boss Chris Davies upon their return to the Championship, as they look to hit the ground running back in the second tier.

Having already proven he can mix it with the best in the EFL, fending off interest for Stansfield will be paramount to those plans, and the former England international can see plenty of success coming at St Andrew’s if all goes to plan over the next 18 months.

He continued: “Blues will expect interest in him in the summer; they had to fight off a lot of people to get his signature and paid over the odds for him. People were looking at it and questioning it at the time, but it is a great bit of business.

“It is great from the player as well to step down and perform and score goals, and he is still a young player at 22, but trust me, Birmingham will invest again this summer, and he could be in the Premier League in one more year’s time.”