The Finland international looked bound for German side Hannover after seeing his time in England with Birmingham and Sunday's opponents Chelsea wrecked by injury. But the deal never went through and Forssell has looked sharp enough during pre-season to be in serious contention to face Jose Mourinho's team. His knee problems appear to be over after netting five times in five warm-up games.

Forssell said: "There was some interest from Germany but the board decided they didn't want to sell me and I wanted to stay with Birmingham and fight for my place."

Manager Steve Bruce said last week that Forssell was in with a genuine chance of playing against Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League opener. The player himself is hoping he can remain fit to be considered for such high profile games.

"I thought there was a chance my Birmingham career was over but the manager has seen things in me this pre-season and now it's down to me," he said. "I felt there was a chance this summer that I was going somewhere else. It was close but I am still here battling for a place. The most important thing for me at the moment is to make sure I stay fit.

"After what I've been through you can understand it if I say I'm just taking it one game at a time, one training session at a time. I do feel the best I have been for some time but I hope there's still a lot more to come."