"They have the money" - Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit reacts to Tom Wagner, Birmingham City transfer claim involving Jay Stansfield | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football League World about the possibility of Birmingham City breaking last summer's record deal for Jay Stansfield

It’s going to be interesting to see exactly what Birmingham City get up to in the transfer market this summer under Knighthead’s ambitious and lavish backing after clinching the League One title with six games to spare, booking their place back in the Championship at the very first time of asking.

The Second City outfit didn’t shy away from flexing their financial muscles to their League One peers last summer upon relegation from the second-tier. Head coach Chris Davies welcomed big-money arrivals such as Christoph Klarer, Willum Willumsson Tomoki Iwata before completing the stunning deadline day acquisition of Jay Stansfield, who starred on loan for Blues in 2023/24 and returned permanently from Fulham in a deal worth a reported £15 million.

The 22-year-old striker, who also signed on a staggering seven-year contract, has been the crown jewel of Davies’ title-winning side this season, scoring 22 goals across all competitions.

His age, profile, performances, transfer fee and contract all mean he will be a sure-fire staple in this Birmingham side for years to come as they look upwards to the Premier League and beyond under Tom Wagner in the future.

Remarkably, though, the ambitious chairman has claimed that Blues could yet break their transfer record for Stansfield this summer in an admission which will spark serious excitement and anticipation at St Andrews @ Knighthead Park.

Lee Hendrie reacts to Tom Wagner's Jay Stansfield, Birmingham City transfer admission

Former Aston Villa midfielder and pundit Lee Hendrie believes that Birmingham have the resources to match Wagner’s undeniable ambition, and that it’s clear the club intend on pursuing successive promotions to the Premier League, just as Ipswich Town did in the previous two seasons under Kieran McKenna.

The Sky Sports pundit would not be surprised to see Blues go again in the 25/26 promotion reckoning, despite being a division higher, with Wagner’s willingness to potentially eclipse the Stansfield deal representing a real statement of intent.

“Birmingham City obviously broke last summer’s record, £15m for Jay Stansfield,” Hendrie explained when speaking exclusively to Football League World.

“Tom Wagner has claimed Birmingham may break that. I think they will go all-out next season, they will invest heavily because they will want back-to-back promotions as we’ve seen Ipswich do.

“I think they have the money, the investment and certainly the drive from above, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they go again next season.

“It’ll be interesting and certainly one to keep an eye on. Promotion from League One and then another rebuild going into the Championship to strengthen the squad, I think they will definitely do that and maybe it will be that they have to spend more than what the Stansfield fee was.”

Birmingham City have the foundations for 25/26 promotion

It’s well-documented that Blues have never simply intended just to get out of League One.

Promotion, of course, was merely the first step in what is shaping up to be a richly-promising long-term future at the club, and Birmingham will have every intention of being similarly competitive in the Championship next term.

They have the financial resources and ambition to do exactly that, although their spending may require some form of moderation owing to stricter second-tier restrictions. In Chris Davies, meanwhile, they have a young, progressive, highly-rated head coach with a popular brand of possession-based football that should lend itself nicely to the Championship, which is becoming increasingly less-pragmatic.

The playing squad, which already contains the likes of Stansfield, Iwata, Klarer, Seung-Ho Paik and Krystian Bielik, is in extremely good health and would likely be competitive in the Championship in its current state.

But with a few extra additions - and big-money ones of that - the sky is very much the limit heading into 2025/26 and beyond.