Birmingham City: '£20m' claim made on Blues duo including Jay Stansfield - Che Adams comparison made | OneFootball

Blues have a plethora of highly-rated performers among their ranks

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City currently boast one of the most talked-about squads in the Championship, after it was once again remoulded through the millions invested in the club by Tom Wagner in the summer transfer window.

Saying that, though, the first half of the season for Blues has been one of inconsistency and, at times, frustration, as they continue to largely excel at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, but have performed like a completely different side when away from the West Midlands.

As such, the spotlight very much remains cast on developments in B9, with Knighthead Capital Management hoping that their well-publicised future plans for the club, which includes the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium as part of the upcoming Sports Quarter complex, are matched by what goes on, on the pitch, under the management of Chris Davies.

This season also represents a first campaign in management at the level for the 40-year-old after Birmingham handed him a maiden venture into full-time management in June 2024, with his first season in charge seeing his new charges romp to the League One title, accumulating an all-time EFL record high of 111 points in the process.

Granted, there was an immediate sense of expectation that anything other than a title-winning season by some margin would have been deemed unsuccessful when taking the club's spending power into account.

Knighthead's funds have seen a raft of high-profile and high-potential stars move to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the past 18 months, although it's fair to say some deals have worked out considerably better than others.

Speaking to Football League World, our Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, is of the viewpoint that two of those are Blues' current standout performers, and that they are worth nothing less than £20m.

Moore's first selection was Austrian centre-back, Christoph Klarer, who has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving from SV Darmstadt in July 2024 for a reported €3m fee.

The former Southampton academy graduate immediately made one of Davies' defensive positions his own with an array of composed performances, as well as showcasing his physicality against opposition defences.

Last term, Blues only conceded 31 times in 46 games, and a lot of that work was down to Klarer's ability alongside Krystian Bielik and Ben Davies, before continuing to perform in such a manner alongside Phil Neumann, who signed on a pre-contract deal from fellow Bundesliga.2 side, Hannover 96, in July.

Klarer was also named club captain following Bielik's departure to West Bromwich Albion in August, and was rewarded for his efforts with a long-term deal until the summer of 2029 not too long after.

Meanwhile, it comes as very little surprise that his second pick was Blues' posterboy, Jay Stansfield, who continues to gain plenty of attention.

The 22-year-old scored 12 times as Blues were relegated in 2023/24, before the club shocked the footballing world by parting with a club-record eight-figure sum in August 2024 to secure his services from Fulham on a seven-year contract.

The England Under-21 international continues to see his price-tag defended by the Bluenoses amid outside scepticism, as he has often been tipped to reach the top level.

"I was having this conversation the other day. For me, it's either Jay Stansfield or Christoph Klarer (as Blues' best players)," Moore told FLW.

"For me, they are both, currently, £20m players," he claimed.

"Christoph Klarer is an absolute force, and he's just everything a modern-day centre-back should be. As for Jay Stansfield, I think the world's at his feet.

"People can say he's X, Y and Z. But, whether they like it or not, he was part of the England Under-21s team and he was the striker.

"Granted, he might have struggled a little bit, but he's scoring goals in the Championship," Moore added.

"We sold Che Adams for £15m/£16m, and he's nowhere near as good as Jay Stansfield.

"For me, Christoph Klarer, £20m. Jay Stansfield, £20m. Anything less, and I wouldn't take it."

Birmingham City are in no rush to sell Jay Stansfield amid Che Adams comparison

Both Stansfield and Adams have been exceptional finishers at Championship level in their own right. However, it will satisfy Blues supporters that the club have no plans to sell their current star man for a profit, having done the same with Adams in 2019.

After joining from Sheffield United for £2m three years previous, the Scotland international formed a strong partnership with the likes of Clayton Donaldson and Lukas Jutkiewicz before moving to Southampton for the aforementioned fee after an overall record of 38 goals and 13 assists in 123 appearances.

As for Klarer, there is also every chance his valuation will continue to skyrocket, as the recently-signed contract extension will only add further protection to the 25-year-old's predicament.