Jay Stansfield has moved to quash speculation linking him with a move away from Birmingham City, insisting he remains fully committed to the club. The 23-year-old forward, who has been linked with newly-promoted Coventry City, stressed his happiness at St Andrew's and his dedication to the Blues' cause.
Speaking at a Birmingham City Foundation event to launch the club's new Powerchair team, Stansfield made his position clear. The team was established after players donated a percentage of their win bonuses to fund the expensive chairs required for the sport.
Stansfield's Commitment to Birmingham
Since joining on loan from Fulham in 2023 and making the move permanent a year later, Stansfield has scored 47 goals in 138 appearances, finishing as top or joint top scorer in each of the last three seasons. Despite inevitable transfer talk, he has once again dedicated himself to the Blues.
"Walking in the city, walking to a game, being at the stadium is really special still, and one of my main things coming to this club was because I fell in love with it when I was on loan, and that will always be here," Stansfield said. "My family has settled here now, I'm really happy here."
He added: "To do this and help the club in different ways is also one of my main things as well, being able to help other people not on the pitch but also off the pitch as well. I don't really look at it [speculation], to be honest, I made my feelings clear of Birmingham and how I feel about Birmingham, and I don't really listen to that."
Focus on the Season Ahead
Stansfield acknowledged the rumours but dismissed them, reiterating his focus on the current campaign. "Nothing's been done about anything, so you see a lot of rumours going around here and there, but I'm a Birmingham City player and that's my main focus for the season," he said. "My main focus was first getting back fit and healthy, and now is to kick on this season in with Birmingham."
The striker, who has 187 senior games under his belt, believes he still has significant room for improvement. "I see myself as still quite young, with quite a lot of experience now," he explained. "I think this is my fifth year in league football, which is good going. It's getting games under your belt and getting that first team experience, which is why I went on loan firstly to Exeter and then to Birmingham."
He continued: "But then I didn't see the pathway at Fulham as clear as I wanted it to be, so that's why I moved to this brilliant club and been allowed to accomplish my dreams – and that's playing week in, week out, first-team football. I've still got a lot more of improvement to do, but I've still got a lot of years to be able to do that and really get to my prime."
Community Engagement and Powerchair Launch
At the Foundation event, Stansfield was joined by team-mate Carlos Vicente and former Blues players Darren Carter and Clinton Morrison, as the squad interacted with the Powerchair players. Stansfield expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative.
"I think it's really good to come down here and see the lads and give it a go, we didn't expect be able to go in the chair and have a go, but it's been a brilliant experience for us and we're really proud to be able to help these guys," he said. "There's smiles on people's faces at the end of the day, the lads have been brilliant, they're really good players, it's been a privilege learn some skills and show us how it's done."
Stansfield's involvement underscores his commitment to the club's community work, a role he has embraced since his arrival. His comments come as Birmingham City prepare for the new season, with the forward expected to play a key role in their campaign.
