http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=291873&cc=5901
Friday, February 20, 2004
Bruce realistic over Forssell fee
Birmingham manager Steve Bruce believes Mikael Forssell's goalscoring
exploits are acting as a 'double-edged sword' with regards to his attempts
to sign the striker on a permanent basis from Chelsea.
Forssell will go into Sunday's derby clash at Villa Park with 11 goals
to his name during a season-long loan from Stamford Bridge - almost half
of Blues' tally of 23 in the Premiership during 2003/2004.
The Finnish international has been a key figure in ensuring that City
have remained in the top 10 for all but a 24-hour spell this season.
But Bruce knows that such form will either push up the price if Chelsea
decide to sell Forssell in the summer or alternatively persuade Claudio
Ranieri to make him part of his long-term plans.
Bruce said: 'Mikael is a fantastic player, a top, top player. He's got
great feet and he works his socks off every day.
'We can't keep him off the training pitch. He wants to improve and he's
got 11 goals for us this season, which is half of what we've scored all
season so you can imagine how vital he is to us.
'Is he pushing his fee up? It's a double-edged sword, isn't it? But
he's obviously going to find it very difficult to play back at Chelsea with
the number of players they have got.
'He's a Chelsea player and we respect that. We hope we can do a deal
and we'll keep on trying to negotiate something. If the chance is there to
get him, we'll do everything in our power to make sure it can happen.'
Forssell has grown weary of fielding questions about his long-term
future and will merely say that he is concentrating on the present with
Birmingham. But he has relished being a regular member of the first team
rather than being used predominantly as a substitute at Chelsea.
He said: 'As a player you have to enjoy what you are doing - and you
are not enjoying it if you are sitting on the bench.
'I do believe in myself and my ability and I could have stayed there
at Chelsea this season and fought for my place and I think I would have
got a couple of games.
'But if they buy players for ￡17 million or ￡18 million then
logically they are going to be the ones that are starting - at least most
of the time.'
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