Birmingham City sadly never felt full Mikael Forssell impact: View | OneFootball

After a promising loan spell, the Finn never recreated the highs once he made the move to St Andrew's permanent

Over 15 years on from his departure form St Andrew’s, the memory of Mikael Forssell is still one that is likely to split opinion among the Birmingham City fanbase.

The Finnish striker was a force to be reckoned with when it all clicked up top for the Blues, but more often than not, the Midlands side would be having their patience tested by frontman during his time with the club.

After an initial loan spell from Chelsea went so well, the reported £3 million outlay to see him move from Stamford Bridge looked like a sound investment, but the three years after the move turned permanent were anything but plain sailing.

The attacker proved to be a case of what might have been during his time as a Bluenose, with so much potential only showing itself in brief glimpses before he departed for Germany.

Mikael Forssell impresses in Birmingham City loan spell

Forssell was a name on plenty of lips during the early stages of his career, with the Finn making the move to Chelsea from HJK Helsinki, before going on to spend seven years in the capital.

A number of loan spells away from the club would follow though, as he continued to try to make a name for himself in the game, with the most impressive coming in his first stint at St Andrew’s in the 03/04 campaign.

Having already caught the eye in the second tier with Crystal Palace, Forssell finally got the chance to show what he can do in the Premier League when given the chance at St Andrew’s, with 17 goals in 32 appearances helping the side finish in the top half of the top flight.

The striker was on fire during his time in the Midlands, with a brace against Fulham in his first match for the club setting the standard, as well as vital winners against Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City.

Further goals against local neighbours Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers will have done plenty to endear himself to the City faithful, so it was no surprise that there was plenty of clamour to sign him on a permanent deal when the season came to an end.

Instead, another loan deal was assured in the summer of 2004, only for a serious knee injury to scupper his chances of first-team football for the remainder of the campaign.

Looking back, Birmingham should have heeded the warning for the frontman, with his lack of game time turning into a regular occurrence once he returned to the club on a permanent basis in the summer of 2005.

Mikael Forssell fails to rediscover form after permanent Birmingham City switch

Despite his lack of matches in the 12 months prior, City were still keen to bring Forssell to the club, and forked out £3 million for his services, and right from the off the signs were there that this wasn’t the same player who had scored goals for fun just a couple of years before

With no league goals until the following January, Forssell was a shadow of the man who had fired the Blues to glory in a past life, with just four league goals throughout the campaign epitomising his side’s struggle to avoid the drop.

If his first season back at the club was hard, the second was an absolute nightmare, with more injury issues seeing him start just three games as the Blues earned automatic promotion at the first time of asking, with the Finn partaking in a watching role for the majority of the campaign.

For all his fitness concerns, there was still a top quality player waiting to be unleashed when the conditions were right, but those times continued to be few and far between as the club returned to to the top flight.

An opening day goal against former employers Chelsea got the ball rolling, as the glimpses of quality were few and far between, until he claimed the match ball against Tottenham Hotspur in March with a stunning hat-trick.

Just when the hope started to die, Forssell would bounce back and remind Blues fans of just what a top player he was, but how frustrating he could be in equal measure.