Yorkshire Evening Post 14/9/11
Mikael Forssell pleased his patience paid off INTERVIEW
By Phil Hay
With Mikael Forssell signed to a 12-month deal, the number of strikers on Leeds United’s wage bill stands at six.
One of those strikers, Davide Somma, has n
o chance of playing this side of Christmas but it is true to say that Forssell is at a club where appearances will be hard-earned.
The 30-year-old’s insistence on chasing a contract with Leeds was in spite of what many might call a surplus of players in his position.
Even without Somma – the victim of a serious knee injury – United manager Simon Grayson reached the end of the summer transfer window with a group of forwards comprising of Ross McCormack, Andy Keogh, Luciano Becchio and Billy Paynter. It was the one area of his squad which required no urgent attention.
Leeds were still as interested in recruiting Forssell as Forssell was in signing for them, and a two-week trial at Thorp Arch culminated in a season-long deal agreed last Thursday.
Forssell made his debut as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace and his role in a dramatic fightback at Elland Road proved how quickly a spare player can make his presence felt.
Acclaim on Saturday fell to McCormack and Becchio, who returned from injury to restore parity at 2-2 and inspire United’s late recovery, but Forssell was instrumental in creating the decisive goal for McCormack seven minutes from time. Grayson had cause to thank the forwards up his sleeve.
“There are lot of us here, with a lot of quality too,” Forssell said. “We’re fighting for a couple of places and it’s difficult to be certain about anything.
“I look at the other strikers and think they’re all good enough to start week in, week out.
“But in my view it’s better to have too many strikers than not enough – better to score plenty of goals than find yourself short.
“If I have to be patient then that’s the way it is.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. But there are so many games this season and we’ll all be needed.”
The fact that Forssell chose to sign for Leeds while other offers were on the table said much about his expectations of serious involvement at Elland Road.
He began training with United’s senior squad a month ago, following on from a trial at West Ham United, and he left Grayson in no doubt about his intentions before leaving to link up with Finland’s squad during the recent international break.
His contract at Elland Road was finalised within 24 hours of his return to Yorkshire last week and agreed in time for him to make his debut against Palace.
“The deal marked the resumption of Forssell’s career in England after three years in Germany with Hannover 96.
The former Chelsea forward needed no introduction to Grayson and less still to United owner Ken Bates, chairman at Stamford Bridge when Forssell made his debut as a 17-year-old.
Forssell’s reputation was built in this country and, at the age of 30, the chance to return outweighed other opportunities abroad, among them a move to Greece.
“I wanted to come back to the UK and I was ready for this deal from the moment I started training with Leeds,” he said.
“In the beginning I had other options so it wasn’t like Leeds were the only club looking at me but I came here and stuck around because I knew it would be a great move.
“My first thought when I started training (at Thorp Arch) was to make sure I stayed fit but Leeds soon made it clear that they wanted me to stay here and sign a deal.
“I was really happy about that because I wanted to stay too but you know how football is – sometimes a deal can’t be done or you don’t agree on everything.
“Nothing’s certain until you’ve signed but it worked out well and to be involved straight away against Palace was great.
“I played more or less 10 years in England and its the place I know best.
“My time in Germany was a good experience but there’s something different about English football.
“It’s a bit unique. I missed the people, the lifestyle and the football itself. I missed the atmosphere you get at a stadium like Elland Road.”
Forssell’s deal with Leeds will take him to the end of the 2011-12 season, the point at which both he and the club will consider their options.
The striker said he was happy with a 12-month contract – “the length of deal I wanted” – but admitted that a long-term career at Elland Road would depend on his form over the next eight months.
“It’s the perfect deal for me,” he said. “That’s what I wanted from the club and I’m happy that they were willing to do it.
“They’ve been open with me from the start – very honest about what they wanted to do and how they felt about me.
“It’s the right length of deal and as soon as it was offered, it was always going to be done.
“I suppose I took a bit of a risk by waiting for it because I had other offers and things I turned down.
“But I knew Leeds wanted me to stay and I wanted to sign a contract with them.
“The only thing to worry about was whether we’d be able to agree something that suited everyone.
“So yes, it was a bit of a risk but I always felt it would work out.
“I hope this move goes well for me and if it does then there’s no reason why it can’t be a long-term thing.
“But it’s too early for me to be talking like that. I’ve only just signed my contract.
“The first target for me is to start games, play well and score goals.”
Mikael Forssell pleased his patience paid off INTERVIEW
By Phil Hay
With Mikael Forssell signed to a 12-month deal, the number of strikers on Leeds United’s wage bill stands at six.
One of those strikers, Davide Somma, has n
o chance of playing this side of Christmas but it is true to say that Forssell is at a club where appearances will be hard-earned.The 30-year-old’s insistence on chasing a contract with Leeds was in spite of what many might call a surplus of players in his position.
Even without Somma – the victim of a serious knee injury – United manager Simon Grayson reached the end of the summer transfer window with a group of forwards comprising of Ross McCormack, Andy Keogh, Luciano Becchio and Billy Paynter. It was the one area of his squad which required no urgent attention.
Leeds were still as interested in recruiting Forssell as Forssell was in signing for them, and a two-week trial at Thorp Arch culminated in a season-long deal agreed last Thursday.
Forssell made his debut as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace and his role in a dramatic fightback at Elland Road proved how quickly a spare player can make his presence felt.
Acclaim on Saturday fell to McCormack and Becchio, who returned from injury to restore parity at 2-2 and inspire United’s late recovery, but Forssell was instrumental in creating the decisive goal for McCormack seven minutes from time. Grayson had cause to thank the forwards up his sleeve.
“There are lot of us here, with a lot of quality too,” Forssell said. “We’re fighting for a couple of places and it’s difficult to be certain about anything.
“I look at the other strikers and think they’re all good enough to start week in, week out.
“But in my view it’s better to have too many strikers than not enough – better to score plenty of goals than find yourself short.
“If I have to be patient then that’s the way it is.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. But there are so many games this season and we’ll all be needed.”
The fact that Forssell chose to sign for Leeds while other offers were on the table said much about his expectations of serious involvement at Elland Road.
He began training with United’s senior squad a month ago, following on from a trial at West Ham United, and he left Grayson in no doubt about his intentions before leaving to link up with Finland’s squad during the recent international break.
His contract at Elland Road was finalised within 24 hours of his return to Yorkshire last week and agreed in time for him to make his debut against Palace.
“The deal marked the resumption of Forssell’s career in England after three years in Germany with Hannover 96.
The former Chelsea forward needed no introduction to Grayson and less still to United owner Ken Bates, chairman at Stamford Bridge when Forssell made his debut as a 17-year-old.
Forssell’s reputation was built in this country and, at the age of 30, the chance to return outweighed other opportunities abroad, among them a move to Greece.
“I wanted to come back to the UK and I was ready for this deal from the moment I started training with Leeds,” he said.
“In the beginning I had other options so it wasn’t like Leeds were the only club looking at me but I came here and stuck around because I knew it would be a great move.
“My first thought when I started training (at Thorp Arch) was to make sure I stayed fit but Leeds soon made it clear that they wanted me to stay here and sign a deal.
“I was really happy about that because I wanted to stay too but you know how football is – sometimes a deal can’t be done or you don’t agree on everything.
“Nothing’s certain until you’ve signed but it worked out well and to be involved straight away against Palace was great.
“I played more or less 10 years in England and its the place I know best.
“My time in Germany was a good experience but there’s something different about English football.
“It’s a bit unique. I missed the people, the lifestyle and the football itself. I missed the atmosphere you get at a stadium like Elland Road.”
Forssell’s deal with Leeds will take him to the end of the 2011-12 season, the point at which both he and the club will consider their options.
The striker said he was happy with a 12-month contract – “the length of deal I wanted” – but admitted that a long-term career at Elland Road would depend on his form over the next eight months.
“It’s the perfect deal for me,” he said. “That’s what I wanted from the club and I’m happy that they were willing to do it.
“They’ve been open with me from the start – very honest about what they wanted to do and how they felt about me.
“It’s the right length of deal and as soon as it was offered, it was always going to be done.
“I suppose I took a bit of a risk by waiting for it because I had other offers and things I turned down.
“But I knew Leeds wanted me to stay and I wanted to sign a contract with them.
“The only thing to worry about was whether we’d be able to agree something that suited everyone.
“So yes, it was a bit of a risk but I always felt it would work out.
“I hope this move goes well for me and if it does then there’s no reason why it can’t be a long-term thing.
“But it’s too early for me to be talking like that. I’ve only just signed my contract.
“The first target for me is to start games, play well and score goals.”