Fulham striker Jay Stansfield joins Exeter City on loan

Jay Stansfield will return to his hometown club

In one of the summer's most emotive transfers, Exeter have signed Jay Stansfield on loan from Fulham.

The forward, 19, came through the Grecians academy before moving to the Cottagers in August 2019.

Stansfield was born in Exeter at a time when his late father Adam was a St James Park favourite.

In his season-long loan he will wear the No 9 shirt that his dad wore and play in front of a stand bearing his father's name.

Adam Stansfield passed away in 2010 at the age of just 31 after a battle with bowel cancer. He played more than 140 games for the Devon club across four seasons, scoring 37 goals.

His son Jay has impressed at Fulham, earning a first-team debut in an FA Cup match against Aston Villa in January 2020 and scoring at their city rivals Birmingham in the League Cup in August 2021, his first professional goal.

The England Under-20 striker also claimed an assist within a minute of coming on to make his full Premier League debut against Brentford last month.

City boss Matt Taylor told the club website: "I spoke to Jay back in June and it's been on the cards for such a long time, we just had to be patient.

"He had a really strong pre-season with Fulham and it was great for him to have an impact on their Premier League campaign. I'm absolutely delighted we managed to make this happen.

"Jay will learn a lot about himself as well as about ourselves over the next few weeks, but his game can definitely adapt. He's scored so many goals in the academy and has carried that on into the under-21s, and showed signs in the first team as well.

"This is a signing for the fans to really get excited about."