DEADLINE :The Signing of Stansfield and Blues’ spending in General has Attracted Attention

Romelle Donovan has joined Burton Albion on loan with the intention of proving himself in League One. Blues manager Chris Davies made the decision to loan Donovan out in order to get the 17-year-old some pitch time and he has landed just up the road in Burton.

Don Goodman has become the latest pundit to suggest Birmingham City have overpaid for Jay Stansfield.

Blues made Stansfield their record signing on transfer deadline day in the biggest League One deal of all time. While Blues paid in excess of £10m to Fulham for Stansfield, the reported £20m fee is understood to be wide of the mark.

The signing of Stansfield and Blues’ spending in general has attracted attention and, in some cases, criticism from pundits. Goodman is of the opinion that the Stansfield fee is too high – although he has no issues with Knighthead splashing their cash to help Blues reach the Premier League.

“It’s mind-blowing,” Goodman told Betway. “There’s no doubt that there’s a Birmingham City tax on that fee. As high as I rate Jay Stansfield, I think it’s completely over the top

“If you’re the selling club and someone is prepared to pay crazy money for one of your players, you have to take it. It’s a great deal for Fulham but I do think it’s a great move for Jay Stansfield.

“He’ll score a bucket load of goals in this league and Birmingham should win the title. It’s been a solid start for them, made difficult by the fact that they’re everybody’s cup final.

“Birmingham are only going to get better, too. On Saturday only two players who were at the club last season started. They were Ethan Laird and Krystian Bielik. It’s a completely new team. The worry for the rest of the division is how good they’ll be once the players get used to playing with each other and once they understand what Chris Davies wants.

“I think they have a similar ambition to what Ipswich had, where they’ve signed Championship-ready players in League One, allowing them to compete in the Championship once they get there. It’s a good ambition and, as long as they’re complying with financial regulations, why wouldn’t you splash the cash if you can afford it?”

Goodman is down to commentate on the blockbuster clash with Wrexham in League One on Monday night, but ex-Blues defender Dan Scarr might not play his part for the visitors. Scarr joined Wrexham from Plymouth in the summer and immediately put the date of the Blues fixture in his diary.

But Scarr has barely played for Wrexham this season with manager Phil Parkinson preferring Max Cleworth, Eoghan O’Connell and Thomas O’Connor at centre-back.

Scarr can’t complain because Wrexham have made a flying start to League One with four wins from their opening five matches. Wrexham’s surge to the top of the table has been aided by four successive clean sheets.