"Should be pushing the boat out" - Hull City told to prioritise Fulham transfer swoop | OneFootball

Our FLW Fan Pundit believes he could be a key acquisition for the manager's system

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…

Hull City have been urged to make a major play to sign Fulham attacker Jay Stansfield on a season-long loan deal from the Premier League outfit.

With just Oscar Estupinan and newly-arrived young prospect Mason Burstow as first-team strikers in the squad, the Tigers may well be in the market to bolster their attacking ranks.

Chris Bedia looks set to be arriving in the near future too from Union Berlin, as per a report from Football Insider, but that option may still not be enough to cover the whole of Tim Walter's attacking unit, whereas the versatility of Stansfield could provide an option in multiple positions.

Jay Stansfield could be the answer to Hull City's striker issues

Stansfield caught plenty of attention attention when he went out on loan to Birmingham City last term and had a productive spell, despite being part of a struggling side which was eventually relegated.

And FLW's Hull Fan Pundit, Ant Northgraves, believes that the 21-year-old could be the perfect addition before the transfer window slams shut on August 30.

Speaking to Football League World, Ant said: “We are absolutely desperate for a natural number nine at this level, that fits the current transfer model of being young, hungry, exciting and that can fit into this new high-demand, intensely aggressive attacking system that Tim Walter wants us to play.

“Seeing Jay Stansfield is going to be allowed to go out on loan, for me, is an absolute no-brainer, and I know pretty much the entire Championship and lower half of the Premier League will be thinking the same.

“But with us, at the minute, in terms of needing a Liam Delap replacement, we’ve only got really Oscar Estupinan, who’s limited technically and cannot lead the line as a single striker. “If we want to be successful this season then we’ve got obviously the young Mason Burstow, who is one we’ve invested in to be good in the next few years, but might not be as effective right now. “But we know Stansfield can do it at this level. He did it with Birmingham last season. He was one of their shining lights and they got relegated.

“So yeah, Stansfield, for me, is one we should be pushing the boat out to get.”

Jay Stansfield, Hull City deal could be blocked by Fulhamboss Marco Silva

The original signals suggested that Stansfield could be allowed back out on loan this season, and much of the attention has focused on whether he could make a shock return to Birmingham despite their relegation.

In that battle, it seems Hull would be the better landing spot for the 21-year-old. They have a clear recent track record of developing young players, with Jacob Greaves earning a move to Ipswich Town this summer and Jadon Philogene doing enough to tempt Aston Villa to buy him back just a year after they sold him to the Tigers.

Stansfield scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 43 league games for the Blues last year, in a team that went through multiple management switches and ultimately got relegated.

At his age, that is some return in the circumstances. It is clear he's more than capable at the level, meaning now is the time to progress, not drop back down to League One with Birmingham.

So far, so good, in terms of Hull's position for tempting him with a season at the MKM.

However, Ant correctly states that they are unlikely to be the only suitors based on the figures he registered last term, so they will have their work cut out in battling for his temporary signature.

That's not the only potential hurdle, as Fulham boss Marco Silva appears keen on keeping him at Craven Cottage for this campaign. He brought Stansfield off the bench in the Cottagers' Premier League loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Following the game, Silva was quizzed on his Stansfield position and said: "There has been a lot of approaches from Championship clubs but I have decided he is going to be part of our squad.

"He is going to be a player for Fulham Football Club. There is nothing more to say. We can keep receiving approaches, OK, but our idea is to keep him in our squad."

In the modern game, these decisions are not always solely down to managers, but, generally, if a coach says he wants a player in the team rather than letting him out on loan, then there's a strong possibility that's what will happen.

There is an argument that another full season in the Championship would do more for Stansfield than cameos in the Premier League, but Silva's opinion will hold heavy sway.

If there is a deal to be made for Hull to bring Stansfield in, then they should waste no time in pulling the trigger. As Ant says, it would solve a key gap in the Tigers' squad, but the noise coming from Silva seems to suggest it may be a tough sell before the close of the window.