Forssell hopeful of repeating form

Mikael Forssell is confident he can turn back the clock and repeat the form of two years ago for Birmingham when he scored 17 Premiership goals while on loan from Chelsea.

The 24-year-old Finland international joined Blues on a permanent basis in a £3m (€4.3m) move last month after eight months on the sidelines with a knee problem.

Forsell has been gradually been eased back into pre-season action by manager Steve Bruce and hit the target in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Derby.

Forssell said: “I am very confident that I can regain the form of my first spell here. That was a really fantastic time for me.

“I am hopeful that I will be in even better form than last time – although I am keeping any targets to myself – and I want to try and take Birmingham to new heights.

“I know Steve Bruce wants to take the footballing side forward every single year and that shows. You can see that the football is better, the players are technically better than maybe they were a couple of years ago.

“The club is going forward all the time and I see a very bright future for Birmingham which I am keen to play my part in.”

Forssell would like to help Blues qualify for Europe but knows that would take a huge effort.

He said: “It is never easy to get into Europe but people have high expectations.

“I know because I come from Finland and the whole country thinks we should be playing in the World Cup and European Championships and it hasn’t happened. But a top-10 finish would be great next season.”

Forssell admitted: “They were dark days last season when I was out of action for so long but I believe it has made me stronger as a person and better as a player.”