Craig Gardner signs for Sunderland

The 24-year-old Birmingham’s midfielder has signed a three-year deal after heading for Wearside to hold talks.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was keen to tie him up as quickly as possible as he closed in on a fifth summer signing following in the wake of Ahmed Elmohamady, Wickham and Bosman free transfers Keiren Westwood and Sebastian Larsson, who will formally complete their moves on Friday.

Birmignham go out, Gardner stays in EPL

The former Aston Villa versatile midfielder, whose fee could rise to £6million, top scored for Blues with 10 goals during the 2010-11 season, including a long-range effort against the Black Cats at St Andrew’s.

Gardner now faces the task of slotting into the hole in the midfield left by Jordan Henderson, who recently joined  Liverpool in a big-money switch.

Gardner joins Sebastian Larsson in making the switch from Birmingham to the Stadium of Light this summer.

Gardner told SAFC TV: “It’s unbelievable, to be honest. As soon as I found out Sunderland were interested, it was a no-brainer…

…It’s such a massive club and their ambitions for this season meet my ambitions, and it was too good to turn down.”

The player made just one appearance for Villa in the 2009–10 due to a groin injury and signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham City on 26 January 2010 for a fee reported as £3m plus £500,000 in add-ons. His winning goal in extra time against West Ham United took Birmingham City through to the 2011 Football League Cup Final that they won eventually.

Gardner’s arrival was announced just hours after Sunderland confirmed that South Korean Ji Dong had completed his protracted move to the Stadium of Light, also for an undisclosed fee and on a three-year contract.

The 20-year-old former Chunnam Dragons frontman will join record signing Asamoah Gyan and fellow new boy Connor Wickham in a new-look frontline, and he too has high hopes of making his mark.

Ji becomes the latest man from his country to try his luck in the Premier League alongside Manchester United’s Park and Bolton’s Lee.

Tags: Aston Villa, Birmingham, black cats, Connor Wickham, Craig Gardner, Jordan Henderson, Sebastian Larsson, Steve Bruce, Sunderland, Wearside