Hull City: Jay Stansfield pursuit surely means the end of the road for Liam Delap return: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali made it clear that the Tigers have promotion ambitions when he sacked popular manager Liam Rosenior after the Yorkshire outfit missed out on last season's play-off spots by just three points.

New manager Tim Walter will be hoping to assemble his own squad this summer in an effort to lay the foundations for a 2024/25 promotion challenge and more forward firepower will surely be on the new boss' radar.

According to Hull Live, the Tigers are eyeing a move for young Fulham forward Jay Stansfield, who spent the last campaign on loan at Birmingham City.

While Liam Delap proved to be a useful asset during a loan spell under Rosenior last season, as he scored eight goals and created two assists in 31 Championship appearances, if the Tigers sign Stansfield, it is difficult to envisage the Manchester City youngster returning again.

The Yorkshire side are keen to retain the striker's services, as the Hull Daily Mail reported last month that club vice-chairman Tan Kesler confirmed that transfer discussions with the Premier League outfit had taken place.

Alan Nixon revealed via Patreon that Man City are looking to sell their starlet rather than sending him on loan again, while he also wrote in The Sun that Pep Guardiola's side want £10m for Delap's services, so it appears unlikely that the Tigers will fork out that kind of money when they are looking to sign Stansfield on loan.

And while Delap has not ruled out staying at the MKM Stadium, as per the Hull Daily Mail, the Tigers may find it difficult to retain his services amid transfer interest from Serie A duo Bologna and Fiorentina, which has been reported by Football Italia.

But the argument could be made that Stansfield is a better forward than his Manchester City counterpart, as he scored 12 goals in the Championship last season despite the Blues' relegation to League One, largely thanks to Wayne Rooney's disastrous time in charge of the Midlands outfit, so perhaps Hull shouldn't be too disheartened by the fact Delap seems unlikely to make his return.

Furthermore, Stansfield has a stronger goalscoring track record in the Football League than that of his fellow 21-year-old, as Delap's tally of eight goals is the highest he has ever scored in a single season, whereas the Fulham man scored nine during a 2022/23 loan spell at League One side Exeter City before bagging 12 Championship goals last term.

Stansfield would be a statement signing for Walter

Former Tigers boss Rosenior was a manager who some of the most talented players in the Championship wanted to play for, as he pulled off the loan signings of Liverpool starlet Fabio Carvalho, and Burnley ace Anass Zarorury.

Walter may take some time to earn the same sort of second tier credentials as his predecessor, but the signing of Stansfield would show that he is already capable of snapping up a player who was one of the Championship's finest young talents last season.

Bringing the 21-year-old to the MKM Stadium would be a solid start to the transfer window, and if signings of a similar calibre follow, then perhaps owner Ilicali will be able to assemble the sort of promotion winning squad he is dreaming of.

Walter has a long road ahead of him if he is to land a play-off spot or better with his new club, but bringing Stansfield to the fold would be a great start in his pursuit of lofty ambitions.