McLeish: Larsson staying put

Sebastian Larsson will remain a Birmingham player for the rest of the season, manager Alex McLeish confirmed on Wednesday.

The midfielder is contracted at the club for another five months but was keen to ply his trade elsewhere, with reports linking him to several clubs including Newcastle, Blackburn and Sunderland.

His transfer request was denied, however, and McLeish insists the Swede will play out the 2010/11 season at St Andrew’s.

“Is Larsson here for the rest of season? Yes. There will be nothing happening in the next few days,” said McLeish.

“It is great. It means another strong player in the squad.”

McLeish also implored fans to respect Larsson, who was booed by sections of Birmingham supporters when he came off the bench during their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United at the weekend.

“The stick Seb got was disappointing. I would like to think the fans will not jeer Seb,” McLeish said.

“It is the way football is in the modern day. I don’t think there is a great desire for Seb to leave the club but he has got to do what is right for him and his family.”

“We must respect that and I’d love the fans to give him a rousing reception if he is playing.”

“I’ve worked with guys on the verge of a Bosman transfer before and they down the tools – but Seb wants to play football.”

“He has made that clear to me and it lets him escape from the madness that is surrounding his contract talks and the future.”