Fulham manager Marco Silva said Jay Stansfield is ready to fight for a Premier League place after his side’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win against Birmingham.
But Silva admitted he cannot guarantee the England Under-21 international will still be at Craven Cottage by the end of the week.
Stansfield refused to celebrate his goal on his return to Birmingham as Fulham cruised into the third round.
The 21-year-old forward, who was Birmingham’s player of the year and 13-goal top scorer last season, netted after 14 minutes after Raul Jimenez’s 10th-minute penalty gave Fulham the lead.
“I’m almost 100 per cent sure that he’s going to be our player but I cannot guarantee that because it’s difficult to control the market,” said Silva.
“We have a plan for Jay. Two seasons ago it was clear he needed first-team football and he went to League One and he proved his quality there.
“Last season he made another step and he proved his quality at this club and in Championship football.
“The plan for him is to be part of our squad. It’s really tough to be part of the 11 in the Premier League, but he’s ready to fight for it.”
Silva also defended the 11 changes he made.
“I know it’s a big number and we had six debuts and some of the connections weren’t what they need to be in the future,” he said.
“But we were solid and clinical and ruthless in the way we punished them in the first two or three moments.”
Jimenez kept his nerve to coolly roll his penalty to the right of goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, who went the opposite way, after a handball by City left-back Alex Cochrane.
Stansfield controlled a long pass from new signing Joachim Andersen and curled the ball into the far corner.
The youngster refused to celebrate out of respect to the club where he spent last season and was applauded by the City fans.
Birmingham manager Chris Davies hit out at the decision to award the penalty.
“We started brightly but the penalty was an extremely difficult decision to accept,” he said.
“I know how hard it is for referees and officials and things happen quickly but if that was looked at by VAR then surely it would have been overturned.
“It was not a handball. Against a side like Fulham, to concede the first goal makes things difficult but the response was excellent.
“I thought we were the better team overall.
“We switched off from the striker run from Jay Stansfield and although it was a good finish, I felt it was against the run of play.
“Overall my overriding feeling is pride in the players for their work ethic, their attitude, the belief and the bravery they showed and for the quality of our play.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Mbappe VS Liverpool Path confirmed… Kylian Mbappe after Virgil van Dijk took him down. 0.6% chance. 99.4% faith. lol I can't unsee this … League titles won "since 2009" Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Egyptian is locked in contract negotiations with the club, who do not want to commit to a multi-year, high wage deal.Salah is in the form of his life, but is 32, which is giving the Reds pause for giving him a two or three-year extension.Per Sky Sports, clubs in the Saudi Pro League are not actively pursuing Salah at present.While he is a target and one they would love to sign, they are not go...
The Blues have made an effort to sign the best and youngest talent from around the world since the takeover by Clearlake.Chelsea are in talks to sign the son of Emmanuel EboueChelsea will have to pay compensation for Mathis EboueThe club are now in talks to sign Mathis Eboue from the Watford academy.The 15-year-old is, of course, the son of Arsenal cult hero Emmanuel Eboue.The Daily Mail have clai...
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez signed a one-year contract extension, meaning he will continue to play in Major League Soccer next season.Suarez, who joined the Herons on a one-year contract in December, tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot race and earned a nomination to the 2024 MLS newcomer of the year award."I'm very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to en...
United target Napoli's KvaratskheliaManchester United are reportedly showing strong interest in Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to SportMediaset. The 23-year-old Georgian star, under contract with Napoli until 2027, has yet to reach an agreement on an extension with the Serie A leaders. The Red Devils are prepared to table a lucrative five-year deal worth at least €8 million ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 3 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 4 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 5 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 6 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 7 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 8 Thierry Henry poses with rarely-seen partner Andrea on red carpet
- 9 Ruben Amorim ‘could move to Ten Hag or Pogba’s old homes’
- 10 Transfer news & rumours LIVE