Steve Bruce may very well have £20 million from the sale of Jordan Henderson burning a hole in his pocket right now but the Sunderland manager has proven himself a canny operator with the acquisition of Seb Larsson from Birmingham on a free transfer from July 1. Added to the money from Darren Bent’s January move to Aston Villa, it’s clear that Bruce has quite a transfer warchest to dip into, but the Larsson move represents a risk-free investment in many respects; the player has plenty Premier League experience and, having turned out for Bruce when the Black Cats boss was in charge at St Andrews, both men know exactly what to expect.
Larsson was very much a man in demand; Newcastle had talks in January but couldn’t agree personal terms and with the sale of Ashley Young to Manchester United, Alex McLeish was keen to bring the player to Villa Park, but Bruce’s powers of persuasion helped seal the deal for Sunderland, with the player admitting:
“I had other alternatives but it’s great to sign with a club like Sunderland. Steve Bruce showed he wanted me and that’s important. Sunderland are building for the future.”
The Statistics
Larsson came to the Premier League aged just 16; Arsenal snapped the Swede up from home town team IFK Eskilstuna but he made only 3 appearances for the Gunners and was a fixture in the Arsenal reserves when Bruce -then at Birmingham- picked him up on a season-long loan in 2006/07with an option for the Blues to buy. Larsson made 27 appearances, scoring just the 1 goal, but impressed enough for Birmingham to make the deal a permanent one, for the sum of £1 million.
A couple of seasons in the Championship and the Premier League followed, with Larsson making a further 157 league appearances, scoring 18 goals and making 22 assists for the club. Last season was his most impressive to date- in all competitions, Larsson played 50 times, scored 6 goals and grabbed 14 assists but his contribution was, nonetheless, not quite enough to save the club from relegation on the final day of the season.
With 4 goals and 6 assists for Birmingham, Larsson had a hand in more of Birmingham’s 37 goals than any other Blues player and his 1.8 Key Passes made the Swede the side’s chief creator by some distance. His 116 pt Fantasy Premier League (FPL) haul was third best for Birmingham, behind the overworked Ben Foster in goal and centre-half Roger Johnson, with Larsson picking up 9 Bonus Points along the way.
The Prospects
The right midfield area was a problem one for Sunderland last term; six different players filled the position over the course of the season but with no real stand-out success; Larsson will be hoping to provide the Black Cats with a solution and will be given plenty chance to shine under Bruce, having turned down bigger wage offers to sign up on Wearside.
Larsson’s dead-ball ability will prove crucial to Sunderland next term; with regular set-piece taker Henderson now at Anfield, he seems nailed-on to be first in line for both corners and free-kicks. Last season saw Henderson and Asamoah Gyan tie for most assist with a mere 5 apiece and Bruce will be desperate to add some creativity to the side, particularly in light of the former’s exit.
With the afore-mentioned budget enabling Bruce to target more high-profile signings over the next couple of months, Sunderland should have a bit more menace and solidity about them than in previous campaigns and as their likely chief creator, Larsson -with a starting price of 5.0 in FPL looking realistic- may well prove to be a bargain Fantasy option come 2011/12, as the Black Cats look to build on last season’s disappointing tenth-place finish.
