Bruce: Finn is now a Forss to be reckoned with
Steve Bruce has backed Birmingham striker Mikael Forssell to play “a massive part” in the second half of the season after finally shaking off his long-term knee problems.
Bruce admitted if he had £8m (€11.7m) to spend, he would struggle to bring in a better frontrunner than the Finland forward.
Forssell is beginning to show signs of recapturing the sharpness which made him a deadly finisher two seasons ago when he scored 19 goals on loan from Chelsea.
He faces stiff competition for a regular first-team spot from Emile Heskey and newcomer Chris Sutton, with Bruce also keen to bring in Rangers frontrunner Peter Lovenkrands or Charlton’s striker-midfielder Jason Euell.
But Bruce has no doubts about the impact that Forssell can make to Birmingham’s battle to stay in the Premiership if he is firing on all cylinders.
Bruce said: “Mikael has been unfortunate in having this knee problem which it has taken a long time to get over.
“I’ve paid particular attention to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he hasn’t found it easy either after a similar setback. However a good a player Solskjaer is, he will find it difficult when he has been out that long.
“But he has been showing encouraging signs and, as regards Mikael, we all know that he is a talent.
"He comes alive in the box and we all know what he is capable of.
“Even if I had £6m (€8.8m) to £8m (€11.7m) to spend on a striker, could I really get anyone better than Mikael Forssell? With his goalscoring record, I don’t really think so.
“It is vitally important for us that he stays on the pitch because he’ll have a massive, massive part to play in the next four or five months.”
Meanwhile, Bruce’s son Alex is a contender to solve Blues’ central defensive crisis for Saturday’s FA Cup clash at Reading.
Skipper Kenny Cunningham (groin) and Matthew Upson (suspended) are definitely out while Martin Taylor is struggling to overcome ankle and leg problems.
