Exeter City set for £5m transfer windfall
Jay Stansfield left Exeter's academy in the summer of 2019 but returned on loan for the 2022-23 season
- Published
Exeter City say the club will earn more than £5m from recent transfers.
The Grecians' accounts to the end of June 2024 show they made more than £5m from sales from July last year onwards.
Former Exeter academy player Jay Stansfield's move from Fulham to Birmingham City in the summer of 2024 for reportedly £15m with possible add-ons saw the Grecians benefit thanks to a sell-on clause.
City also sold striker Millenic Alli for a fee understood to be worth £1.5m in January, while Will Aimson also moved to Wigan for an undisclosed fee in July 2024.
City say the funds are payable "over a number of years rather than being received upfront and allow the club to plan investment in the first team, academy and capital projects whilst supporting the day-to-day running of the business".
"The manager has been able to recruit a number of players to replace those leaving with both loans and permanent transfers," City added in their annual report.
"The board will continue to do all it can to provide the manager with the resources to support the ambition of the club whilst not compromising the sustainability of the business."
Stansfield's move is the latest in a long line of Exeter City academy players who have been sold for big fees in recent years.
The club has earned more than £5m from England striker Ollie Watkins' moves to Brentford and Aston Villa, while Ethan Ampadu, Matt Grimes and Joel Randell have all commended fees in excess of £1m.
The fan-owned club's annual accounts show a pre-tax profit of £182,000 for the year ending 30 June 2024.
The Grecians were profitable thanks to £3.1m in transfer income during the 2023-24 season after the sale of striker Sam Nombe to Rotherham United for what the club described at the time as a "record fee".
City also made around £1m from a sell-on clause from former academy player Ampadu's £7m move from Chelsea to Leeds United.
In addition, the club earned compensation for Archie Collins after he left for Peterborough United and agreed a compensation fee with Swansea City for Josh Key's 2023 move after a tribunal.
The figures come as Exeter's turnover increased by £725,000 on the previous year although pre-tax profits dropped by £130,000 over the 12 months as the club's wages bill rose by £1.1m.